Bad Boy
by PrimeEmily135
Summary: Starscream had said that Megatron would pay for all the pain he had caused him and his trine. But no one would have guessed that such an innocent femme could end up being the fearsome Decepticon leader's personal hell.
1. Chapter 1

**This story will mostly ****be about Megatron, Soundwave, and Flamewar. Set in Prime universe. Will have some future references to my story 'Lonely' which is about Starscream. **

**I do not own anything Transformers Prime!**

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Flamewar was loyal to Megatron from the start. From the very beginning she had followed him without question and she would always do her part to serve him till the end.

Many of the Decepticon underlings told her it was because her brother was so loyal, but she didn't think her brother had anything to do with it. She wanted to join the Decepticons against his strongest recommendations that she stay neutral. She worked diligently as a mechanic, far from any of the higher ups. In the engine room it was uncommon to see anyone from the higher ranks or hear from them for that matter. Megatron himself only contacted them when something was going wrong. But he never came down in person.

She had only seen their leader in person a few times and always at a distance. But she received regular updates on the leader from her brother almost every day. Soundwave always made sure to take care of her and make sure she always knew what was going on. And he came to visit her about three times a week, never missing their rendezvous without good explanation.

Flamewar vented to herself, looking over some computers and data pads. The last time Soundwave came to visit things had been pretty bad up top. They had lost relics to the Autobots and the ex-Comander Starscream. It had made Megatron very irritable. And it made the rest of the Decepticons weary.

She tapped an instrument that seemed to be malfunctioning and made note of it on a data pad. Checking her internal clock, she vented tiredly. Her shift was just about over. After filing the day's reports she had just enough time to grab a ration of Energon before heading off to recharge.

She vented slowly and went back to some of the bigger engines, pausing. Something didn't sound right. When she strained to hear she found a quiet ticking sound. It was like something had been bumped out of place. She waved over another mechanic and asked about it, he simply shrugged and went about his own business.

She opened the access panel herself to take a look. When she looked in she saw that something had caught in the moving cogs. She cringed and stepped back as sparks started flying from the machine. "We have a problem people!" she warned her fellow workers just as the blast occurred.

She jumped out of the way, quickly ducking behind a section of wall. Flames licked the surrounding area and some mechs hurried to put them out. "Come on, move it! Megatron will have all our hides!" she shouted, joining in.

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Five hours after her shift should have ended, Flamewar slunk to the reck area. She took her Energon ration slowly and went to sit in her usual spot. When she looked up to where that was, she froze. In the corner of the room, where she usually hid, the Decepticon leader sat chewing a ration himself.

She turned away quickly, sitting down on the opposite side of the room. He didn't look happy, but that was normal. At least he didn't seem pissed either. She took one last glance at him over her shoulder before minding her own business. She hoped that he wouldn't notice her and ask about the engine room incident. He had sounded angry enough over the com system.

She munched on her cube of Energon, trying to ignore the fact that Megatron was taking side glances at her. She tried to look as small and insignificant as she could to avoid any confrontation with the big mech. She took shaky intakes to cool her systems under the pressure. She admired her leader in more ways then in respect. Although she would never tell her brother she had always had a bit of a crush on Megatron, but she was smart and fearful enough to never take action. If Soundwave found out she suspected he would hunt down the nearest Autobot and drop her off there never to be seen again. He was a little over protective of her when it came to mechs. The last Decepticon that ever express interest in her ended up in an 'accident' and was blown to bits. Needless to say, her brother would send her as far away as possible if it meant she didn't get hurt by some insensitive mech.

She smiled slightly. Even though Soundwave practically worshipped the ground Megatron walked on, she doubted he would approve of the thoughts running through her mind when she saw him. The silent Decepticon would probably faint if he knew she thought Megatron had an attractive frame.

She vented slowly, finishing her cube. She licked her fingers as she stood up, turning to leave the room the way she came. She could feel the mech's eyes on her, and realized that it might be bad not to acknowledge him. She didn't pause as she past him but muttered quietly in embarrassment. "Good evening lord Megatron."

She hurried to her shared quarters, getting out of the reck room so quickly as possible she missed the small smirk on her leader's face. He looked up and down her frame as she left with a small chuckle. It had been so long since he'd mingled with his crew he had forgot they even had femmes on board.

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**Please leave some feedback. I love reviews. Keep in mind I am trying to finish up some other stories at the moment so this one might stay on hold for a little while. Thanks for reading! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Megatron stood up from his chair in the command center and looked around to see if anyone was still around. Only Soundwave was still present at his station. The steady clicking of his work was easy enough to drown out.

He smirked, moving to a computer to do his own research. The femme he had seen in the wreck room the other night had certainly peeked his interest as to how many femmes were actually on his warship. He hadn't really thought about them in years, with the exception of Airachnid. But she hadn't been a very attractive character to his standards.

He sat down and started typing, watching the screen curiously. He didn't like doing personal research while everyone was out and about, it made him feel as if his crew was secretly waiting for things to gossip about. Even though the Decepticons were mostly men, word and rumors went around very quickly. But he trusted Soundwave and he seemed busy enough at the moment that he wouldn't peek into his leader's business.

Megatron scrolled down a few files until he came to the ones of his crew members. It amazed him how many there actually were on his ship alone, so many loyal followers. But after scrolling down the list for a few minutes he refined his search. The next list that came up was much smaller, ten names at most.

His grin widened as he clicked on the first profile. It was of a silver femme, her name was Clio. He looked over her profile, his optic ridge raised in approval of what he saw. She was a scientist, she worked with Knockout now that Breakdown was gone, and she was not bad on the optics. But it wasn't who he was looking for so he moved onto the next. Nightracer, a blue, green and black femme. She was a sight, slim and agile and one of the best night time snipers he had apparently. "Why haven't I heard of these people before? They could be very useful." he mused to himself, clicking on the next file. Lyzack... A green femme, not exactly good or bad at anything. "No interest..." he vented and moved on, pausing on the file of Airachnid. "They really need to update this thing." he grumbled, the spider femme had been gone for a few earth months now. He flipped through the next files hurriedly. Shadow Striker. Esmeral. Howlback. Flip Sides. "Hello hottie." he took a moment to glance at that last one.

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Soundwave listened intently to the clicking of his keyboard, paying little mind to his master's research. His processor flew as fast as his fingers, thinking faster then any other Decepticon ever could. With each moment he was closer and closer to deciphering the location of an Iacon relic. It was getting painstakingly close, he could feel it!

He was so frustrated with his slow progress, and he was afraid that if he had nothing to show his lord Megatron soon that he would not be in the War lord's good graces for very much longer. He was so consumed by the project that he had forgotten to meet Flamewar the day before, but she had been very understanding, and very busy herself.

He vented silently, almost without any audio at all, and closed his hidden optics. He would do anything to please his master but three days without proper recharge was beginning to drag him down. And he couldn't disappoint his sister again. She didn't have much now, in fact, all either of them had was each other. He wanted her to remain neutral for the sake of future generations, but she hadn't liked that idea very much and had joined Megatron's quest against his wishes for her to be safer. He did everything he could to make sure that nothing ever happened to her, the subconscious parts of his processor were constantly making sure that she was okay. Security monitors followed her in her work. Reports were linked to his personal computer so he could check for anything out of the ordinary. He was very well informed about everything that was going on in her life. So it was obvious that he knew of her encounter with his master the night before. But he didn't really think anything of it until a warning popped up in his processor.

Someone was accessing her files.

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Megatron leaned back in his chair, venting quietly in victory when he finally found the femme he was looking for. "Flamewar..." the name rolled off his glossa nicely and he nodded to himself. He liked it. And he certainly liked what he was looking at. The picture was a bit outdated but he still recognized her from the wreck room. "Let's see who you are..." he scanned the page with the faintest of pleasurable grins on his face.

But his grin faded when a popup came across the screen. The two words uttered from the computer audios made his Energon boil. "Access Denied."

"What?!" he hadn't heard that phrase in years. It was his warship, he was in charge of everything and had the highest level of authority. A.K.A, he had the highest level of access available. "Override Access code." he typed in the code but the message simply repeated itself. His growl turned into snarl in seconds. He glanced across the room at his Communications officer, who suddenly seemed interested in the War lord. "Soundwave, would you mind telling me why I am not being aloud to access the computer on my own ship?" he glared at him, unbeknownst to him the C.O. was smirking behind the emotionless mask he wore. "Fix it." he ordered.

Soundwave nodded, turning back to his computer. It was a moment before the message cleared away. But the victory was short lived as the search tab closed out and all the research was lost.

He growled, leaning back in the chair with a servo over his face. He had been so close to finding her, and it had taken a good hour to get that far. He took a few deep vents and slowly peaked through his fingers at his C.O. He had returned to his normal duties, but he seemed a little more tense than usual.

He watched him, feeling a little undermined. He hadn't realized just how much power the silent mech had on his ship. He obviously had the power to override about any system and fix almost every problem. Perhaps Megatron didn't have as much security clearance as he had thought...

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**Hehehe, I love Soundwave. And I love messing with Megatron, it's just so much fun. :)**

**Thank you all for the review\faves\follows. Next chap will be out as soon as I write it. So, yeah... Please review. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Flamewar grabbed a ration of Energon after a very long, very stressful, and very eventful day of nonstop work on the engines. Nothing sounded better to her at that moment then going up to Megatron himself and giving him a piece of her processor! The engine room still wasn't in complete operation and he had the gall to tell them they weren't working hard enough! She had shoved her arm into a moving machine, shoulder deep! Not only had she risked chopping her arm completely off, it had come out covered in grease!

She looked down at her filthy arm with a vent. It was going to take forever for her to get the grease gone now that it had set for hours! And she didn't have a scheduled cleaning for another day and a half...

She looked at the bright blue cube for a moment, silently contemplating grabbing some high grade instead, but the notion was thrown away as quickly as it had come. Continuing to her normal spot on the hard couch in the wreck room, she didn't look up at anyone and slipped past anyone who got in her way. She was not in the mood to deal with anyone, especially mechs. She was about as sick of them as she could be at the moment.

She plopped down tiredly on the couch, propping her Energon cube on her knee as she buried her face in her servos. Her optics were tired and her body exhausted. She just couldn't wait to recharge, it was so appealing she almost skipped a refueling to just sleep. But something in her gut told her to just relax and get something to eat... Perhaps that had been her fuel tanks.

She felt someone sit down next to her, the couch sunk in their direction indicating the 'con was much bigger than herself but she could care less. "Go away." she growled, not even looking up to see who had intruded on her peace.

"Hmm, sounds like someone's had a rough day." the mech commented, not moving at all. Her growl turned to snarl quickly, she couldn't take any flirts right then it would drive her over the brink of sanity. At the sound of aggression the mech shifted uncomfortably.

"I said go away." she repeated, but he seemed too stubborn to leave. "What the scrap do you want?!" she wanted to scream, but feared too much attention drawn to herself and kept quiet besides a quiet sob. She was so frustrated with everything she wasn't surprised that she would break down crying in front of a stranger.

She could almost feel the stranger's surprise as her cries became a little more audible. He cleared his throat once before speaking again in his cool tone of voice. "We'll, my original intentions seem to be meaningless now, so I suppose I should ask what is bothering you instead."

She tried to collect herself enough to speak, inside knowing that she was glad for the mech's inquiry. "It's just this stupid day! Nothing is going right, and that stupid mech of a leader made everything worse!" her tears flowed continuously from her optics, blocking her view of her company's shocked expression. "I'm frustrated, I'm tired, I'm filthy, and I just want to be alone!" she paused, taking an aggressive bite if her Energon cube. "And you know what else? A little appreciation would be nice! All I do is work all day, trying to make sure that nothing goes wrong and when it does the high and mighty Megatron thinks it's all our fault! You know, maybe-just maybe- it's because he is constantly letting the Autobots wreak havoc on this ship!" she took a deep vent, finally feeling calmer. It felt extremely good to finally say all of that.

The mech coughed awkwardly, not prepared for what he had heard from her. "Well, perhaps. I'm sure he doesn't mean it. He's probably just as frustrated as you are most of the time."

She huffed, rolling her optics. "Yeah, and I'm a Prime. Like pit he cares at all what we suffer through to make him happy..." she trailed off, noting his silence. She munched on her cube absentmindedly, staring at the marks on the floor. "Sorry... I know you probably don't care at all about this, I just had to get that off my chest. Megatron is a great leader, sometimes I just get a little caried away. Sometimes I just wish-" she scratched the chair, digging into it with her fingertips. "-I just wish I could slap him."

"I'm sure I deserve it. I don't exactly make it easy on you."

Her spark froze in horror, and she finally looked up into the face of her companion. Upon seeing the red optics of her leader she stumbled away from him, fear coursing through her body! "L-Lord Megatron!" she tripped backwards over a small step, landing on her butt with a small thud, yet still she scrambled away.

He got up off of the couch slowly, not looking angry at all, more concerned than anything else. He stood over her, cornering her when she backed into a wall. But he knelt down and grasped her by the arms, helping her back up to her feet. "Are you okay?"

She felt her vocal processor freeze, her vision fizzed and then went out completely as she fainted into recharge. She didn't see or hear his small laugh at her reaction.

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**Poor Flamewar, just insult him to his face why don't ya. Lucky Megatron seems in a good mood. :) leave a Review. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Megatron sat at his desk going over some things in his personal study. He had loads of work to take care of but his processor kept wandering to what the femme had told him last night. Perhaps he was a little ungrateful to all those underneath his authority. She had very strong opinions but was over all pleasant when she wasn't crying. And even then he could get used to it, and her want to slap him. He figured she couldn't hit that hard.

With a tired vent, he rescanned a line he hadn't really read. He had been up all night with paperwork, reading and signing over and over until his whole body itched to get up and move. But he didn't, until he had a reason to get up he had to finish his work. That was difficult for his processor when it kept thinking of Flamewar.

He smirked, glancing up at the hidden security cameras in his study. He could almost feel Soundwave watching him, infuriated. It seemed that after more obvious attempts to access Flamewar's files, Soundwave was determined to keep him away from her for some reason. He almost laughed at the idea. But the C.O. still had a bit of his shift left to complete, so he wasn't too worried about him.

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The first sensation that filled her processor was that of something soft and comfortable. With her optics still closed she shifted slightly to become more situated on the warm berth, pulling the durable covering closer to her face. Her olfactory sensors picked up something strange and she bolted upright, her optics searching the room. It wasn't hers.

She was stunned still, a look of absolute horror etching onto her face. Her processor raced to make sense of everything but she could find no conclusion. She couldn't remember how she ended up there, had he been forced to? Was she on high grade? She had no answer for herself, but despite her fears she felt strangely untouched.

Heavy footfall shook her from her daze. "Ah, you're finally awake. I was just about to think you had gone into stasis lock." She turned, training her gaze on the silver mech coming into the room from the study. Megatron smirked slightly, not moving toward her, instead going on with his business. He grabbed a few data pads, looking over them briefly before grabbing something from a shelf. "Did you sleep well?" She didn't move and he simply shrugged, ignoring her apparent silence. "I didn't know where your quarters were, for some reason I couldn't access your files-" that seemed directed at someone else entirely, but he continued on normally. "-so I took you here instead. There is some Energon in the cabinet if you are hungry, and you can wash up in the cleansing room if you would like to." he glanced up at her from the data pads with a small smile, "I'm sure someone will be here shortly to pick you up."

"Thank-you..." she mumbled, not looking at him directly. He stopped in the doorway, as if debating to go back to work or stay. It seemed the latter won out, and he set his things aside for a moment to go sit by her side. She bit her lip, looking down at the berth in anticipation when he watched her.

"There's no reason for you to be afraid." he tried to calm her, but that didn't even to begin to cover it. She was terrified! She was in the personal quarters of her leader. She couldn't remember anything that had happened the previous night and he seemed happy about something. She didn't feel any different than before but she was scared. "Hey," he touched her back gently, as if he could sense her mental battle, "nothing happened if that's what you're thinking. I'm not that cruel."

She closed her optics tightly. The way Soundwave informed her, Megatron was deceitful and conniving. It was very possible for him to do just about anything and get away with it. But Soundwave also trusted him, or did he? Was loyal and trusting really the same thing?

"I should go." she finally squeaked, but she couldn't move. His stare seemed to keep her pinned where she was, and she just couldn't get away. She held her breath for a second as he watched her but he said nothing. "H-have a good day s-sir."

She found the courage to leave, but when he finally spoke again she had to stop. "I don't believe we have been properly introduced, what is your name?" she could almost tell by his voice that he already knew the answer but she answered all the same. He gave her a soft smile in return, standing up to join her. "It is a beautiful name." he mused, sitting down at a small table, turning on a holographic chess game. "Would you stay for a game?" he offered, motioning to a seat across from him. "I could use a break from work, and by the sound of things last night, you could too."

She didn't know exactly how to respond. Every ounce of her was screaming for her to leave, to flee as fast as she could until she got as far away from him as possible. But another part of her warned that it might be rude to leave after he had been so kind to her. She would get into trouble if she was late for her shift, which she was already. But Megatron was in charge of everyone, if he asked her to stay wouldn't he be able to keep her out of trouble? And he looked like he really wanted her to stay, but didn't want to say anything like that. She vented shakily and sat down across from him. "Let's play." she tried for a small smile.

He grinned, motioning to her. "You first."

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**Okay, so the next chapter is mostly from Megatron' POV, it's all written up I just have to edit it before I post it up. Please leave a review, I love them all. And to the guest that keeps asking if there will be another chapter, yes this will be going on for a while. ;) **


	5. Chapter 5

Megatron laughed, a sincere laugh that made his chest hurt and tears come into his optics. Flamewar wasn't much better off than he was, nearly falling over in her chair and unable to breathe. He wiped the optic fluid away from his face, trying to control his breathing but failing miserably. About ten minutes into their now abandoned game the femme had finally let her guard down and had started conversing with him like a normal Cybertronian. She didn't seem afraid that he would judge her or fear him because he was her leader. She seemed generally open and trusting. When he thought about it, he hadn't had anyone act like that around him in a long time...

She gasped for breath, continuing to giggle. Her shoulders heaved as she leaned back her head against the chair. He smiled, finally able to bring his laughing to a stop. As he watched her calm down, he took in what she looked like. She was definitely very beautiful. But the way she held herself indicated that she was socially a little shy. She hid her smile behind a servo as if unsure about it, but her optics still glowed with life. Over all he liked what he saw.

She vented deeply, finishing her story. "It was a horrible mess, and it took weeks to clear it up." she laughed softly, covering her optics with a servo. "Oh, that was awful."

He chuckled lightly. "It sounds pretty horrific." He agreed, taking a sip of Energon. "I'd hate to see who got punished for that screw up. That had to have hurt."

She nodded, her expression saddening a little. "Especially when you take the fall for your best friend and get blamed for it..."

His expression hardened, realizing that she had been severely punished for something she hadn't even done, just to help a friend who had made a mistake. "Who the heck gave orders for you to be punished? Why didn't they do any research into it?" He knew the answer before she said it however. It had been him. He remembered that particular call to the engine room, and he had said to whip whoever was responsible. He buried his face in a servo, feeling his stomach twist at the thought. "By the Allspark, Flamewar I'm sorry. I had no idea-"

She shrugged, but she was shaking slightly. "It's okay, I mean- it was a long time ago now. I practically forgot about it until now." she trailed off softly, looking down at the floor again. Megatron ground his denta, seeing that she was once again receding back into her shy self.

He bit his bottom lip, grasping for anything to say to fill the awkward silence. "Man, you must not really like me all that much down there. Is there some sort of I hate my leader club that I should know about?" he tried to cheer her up with a little joke and to his relief it did.

She laughed quietly, shaking her head. "No Megatron, even down in the pits of this warship we still respect and adore you." she assured him, he noticed with a slight twinkle in her optics.

He crossed his arms, a bit of a disapproving look on his face. "Hey, I'll take the respect any day, but the adoring part? That's just a little too creepy for me." that made her laughter ring louder, clenching her optics tight shut again as she leaned back in the chair. Megatron simply smiled at her, nodding absentmindedly to himself. He could get used to having her around. He actually quite enjoyed it.

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Soundwave practically flew down the hall from the command center. Fury, anger, worry, blind hate. It was all coursing through him like lava burning in his in his veins. Lazerbeak flew through the air above him, barely keeping up with his master's speed. He didn't know how he had dound her or how he had convinced her to go with him, but he had heard Megatron talking with Flamewar, in his berthroom! What they were doing in there he didn't want to know, but he knew that he was getting her out of there pronto.

Finally at the door of his master's room, he didn't even knock before entering. He threw the door open, glaring into the darker room. His optics traveled around the room from behind his mask, searching for the location of his sister's laughter. What he saw surprised him, but his anger melted away slowly as he watched the two Decepticons, completely oblivious to his presence.

It had been so long since he had heard his sister laugh, he almost forgot why he was furious. She looked so happy sitting across from their leader with a shy smile on her face, half hidden behind her slender servo. They were just sitting there, talking. Like the most innocent bots in the universe.

His optics traveled around the room, taking in that the berth had only one small imprint on it. His spark eased slightly at that, knowing that his little sister hadn't been taken advantage of. And Megatron's desk was stacked a mile high with data pads, so he must have been working. So why did he still feel ill at ease?

He stepped into the room farther, sending Megatron a short signal to announce his arrival. He had practically been summoned by his master's subtle hints, but it was his big brother instincts that had brought him there so quickly. Megatron looked up at him and smirked slightly.

"Ah Soundwave, I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever arrive." he said, a tad bit sarcastically. But he just stood there unmoved. The same couldn't be said for his sister, she whirled around and froze, staring at him in shock.

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**Please leave a review. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Very short chapter, I'm just getting back into the groove of updating. **

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The three of them were silent for a minute, but Megatron saw that Flamewar was slowly shrinking into her seat. It was as if Soundwave's gaze was pushing her into the ground!

The silent mech pointed at her then whipped his long finger towards the door. ::Get Out!:: his message was clear enough. Flamewar jumped up out of her seat, quick to obey him. She scurried out of the room before Megatron could even raise a finger.

As soon as the door shut behind her Soundwave turned to face him. He was a little taken aback by the ferocity in the mech's stance, standing up as a defensive precaution. "Would you mind explaining now, Soundwave?" he kept his voice low and stern.

The silent mech, one of his most trusted followers, did the unthinkable. He cracked his knuckles threateningly. ::Oh yes, we will talk...:: his visor blocked his expression but Megatron was fairly sure he was pissed.

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Flamewar sat in her room, waiting. Standing up again she paced, then sat down in a different spot. She couldn't imagine what Soundwave would do to Megatron. Although he was as loyal as anything she was sure he wouldn't withhold his anger. She just hoped that her leader would be able to walk after his encounter with her brother. Soundwave was known to remove things that mechs usually wanted to have stay _attached_ to their bodies...

She vented slowly when she heard footfall in the hall, and shivered in anticipation as they stopped outside her door. She sat up taller, bracing herself for all that was to come. She could see his feet cast a shadow under the door, but after a few moments he moved on.

She gaped at the door, feeling relief spread through her, but was all the more terrified. If her brother did not want to speak with her he was most likely too enraged to get his message across to her clearly. He was too angry for words.

She bit her lip, now worrying even more about the large silver mech. Her leader had probably gotten into a lot more then she had anticipated. If Soundwave was this mad, and still functioning, Megatron was a pile of scrap for sure.

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Megatron laid back slowly on his berth, holding his hurting elbow. He groaned, his body felt like it was on fire! He knew that Soundwave was the strong and silent type, but he had never imagined that the mech could turn on him so easily. He had gotten pummeled!

He breathed slowly, hoping to keep his systems from overheating as some things self repaired. He hadn't expected his communications officer to become so violent, but it had all made sense when he paused in the doorway as he left, throwing him a data pad where he lay on the floor.

Megatron looked at the data pad once again, to make sure he wasn't just seeing things, but it was the same as it was before. It was Flamewar's file, and under her familial connections was a link to the familiar file of his communications officer... Flamewar was his sister.

It all made sense. He was trying to keep her safe. Suddenly all those strange reports he had heard about Soundwave made sense too. There were rumors around the crew that the silent mech would rip minor Decepticons to shreds for some strange reason, and without warning. Some would die, others would simply lose an appendage. Megatron counted himself lucky he had merely gotten the scrap beat out of him.

"I really should really consider re-evaluating my officers." he winced. "They all want to kill me..." he knew that this would be an isolated one time thing with Soundwave, however he did hope he could smooth things out with him as soon as possible. He wasn't too keen on losing his good friend over a simple mistake...

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	7. Chapter 7

Four days, and Flamewar hadn't heard a word from her brother. She was beginning to worry that he would never speak to her again. But why would he do that? It wasn't her fault, she hadn't done anything wrong. In fact, neither had Megatron in her knowledge.

She vented slowly and deeply, tightening a loose gear in one of the engines. It was later in the night, the Nemesis was stalled high in the air in a power saving mode. It was the perfect time for some manual repairs. and the perfect time to think about recent activities.

She grunted with the force it took to move her wrench any further. The bolt ground against her tool and she felt herself slip! Her servo caught in the moving cogs and she screamed as it was crushed between the two moving parts. She tried to pry herself loose but managed to only get stuck worse.

"Help!" she screeched, pain shooting through her. "Someone help!" she felt her Energon spill as her servo was ripped clean off! Falling backwards she cradled her severed limb, crying in shocked pain. "Somebody there? Anybody!" she listened as well as she could over her own cries, but it seemed that she was alone. "Soundwave..." she moaned, hoping with every ounce of her being that he was working a late shift and was willing to hear her pleas.

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"_Soundwave_..."

He heard her voice over the monitors as a faint whisper, and his head whipped up in alertness. He did a subconscious scan of the room to find it empty before switching through security cameras on the monitor. He searched from her room, down the halls, and finally to the engine room. But he couldn't see her anywhere!

::Flamewar, where are you?:: he thought aloud, speaking through other's words.

"Soundwave, I'm sorry... Please, I need your help!" he could hear her crying, whimpering in a pain and he didn't understand why. He couldn't see her. If he couldn't find her, he couldn't help her! Just as he was about to check a new room, his optic was drawn to a small pool of blue Energon on the floor.

His spark stopped for a moment when he saw her collapse onto the floor. The pain in her optics gave him a burst of adrenaline and he ran from the room, leaving his post abandoned. He left so quickly he didn't see her expression of abandonment. She looked at the camera helplessly, tears leaking down her face as she whispered the only other name she could think of.

"_Megatron_..."

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She couldn't feel anything but pain. She couldn't see. And she felt like she was left for scrap! No one was coming to help her. No one could hear her other than Soundwave. And it seemed that he wasn't coming.

"Megatron..." She didn't know why he came to mind. She didn't know him well but already she felt like if he could he would help her.

She started wishing she would just off-line. The pain and desperation was just too much for her. She wouldn't die from the wound itself, but if no one came for her soon she would bleed out all her Energon and be left a lifeless husk to be found in the morning.

"Soundwave, you bastard... You probably want me dead... You won't have to 'take care' of me anymore... Do you hate me that much?" she cried. And while she poured out her anguish she hardly noticed her life slipping away by the minute.

She froze upon hearing a door burst open and hurried footsteps approach her. Two servos wrapped tightly around her and she lost consciousness.

* * *

**This has to be the shortest chapter I have written, Ever! So sorry, but I promis the next chapter will be much longer. Please Review. :)**

**So, I was thinking about writing a Halloween one-shot starring Arcee, would anybody read that? I have only a little bit written so it might come out late. So I would like to hear from you guys if I should do it or not. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Soundwave rushed his sister to the Med Bay, praying that the doctor was in so he wouldn't have to patch her up himself. He would do anything for her, to help or protect her, but he was no doctor. He knew he couldn't piece her back together as well as Knockout, to his own disgust. He hated trusting the mech with so much.

Flamewar didn't even stir in his arms, she was bleeding freely and was cold. Well, more cold than normal. Her one servo remained clenched in a fist against his chest, and he could feel her spark rate was slow.

He shoved the medical room door open and strode in unannounced. The room was filled with the noise of life support systems running and was brightened by the white lights above them. His optics scanned the room to find the mech in charge there, and he found him standing beside a currently in use medical berth.

::Knockout:: he sent the medic a private com, gaining his attention. The red mech whipped around furiously, glaring at the Communications Officer. He didn't understand why, until he caught sight of the patient. Megatron lay still on the berth, an I.V. letting Energon into his arm. His breaths came and went slowly, as if he was in a lot of pain. ::he deserves it:: he thought to himself.

"Soundwave, I already have a patient with internal bleeding, I don't need one with external bleeding too!" Knockout growled at him, slapping a tool into the table next to him. "You can't just go around whopping people's afts! I have more important things to do!"

Soundwave could see the medic squirm when he stared at him, stalk still and unwavering. From behind his visor he glared, formulating what to say in his mind. But, it was Megatron who spoke next, his voice tired and pain laden.

"Who is it he needs to repair?"

Knockout vented, moving to a computer to pull up some files as Soundwave lay his sister on a berth. "It's just one of the femmes. Her vitals aren't too bad, she can wait if I inject her with this." he started filling a syringe with a light grey liquid.

Megatron sat up slowly, as if the motion made him queasy. He motioned for the medic to stop what he was doing. "Help her first." he pointed to Flamewar, propping himself up with his servos. Soundwave looked him over critically. It had been four days since their little 'chat' but he still looked worse than hell.

"But sir, you said that no one was more-"

"Do as I say Knockout!" he snapped, then winced at the loudness of his own voice before lying back down. "She is more important than many of us here. If you don't want Soundwave to become psychotic, or me to strangle you, do as you're told." the mech looked in no shape to strangle anyone but Knockout took heed of his warning and pushed past the silent mech to take a look at Flamewar.

Megatron turned his optics on his Communications Officer. "As for you, although you are temporarily in charge it gives you no right to abandon you station. Get back to the control room." It was an order, but that hadn't stopped him from pulverizing him in the first place. But, he looked rather harmless. And he had just put Flamewar's well being above his own...

Soundwave nodded, more to himself than to his lord. He would be back before his sister even woke up. Grabbing a data pad, he scribbled a message for his sister, just in case he was a little late picking her up. He left it on the table next to her berth and strode out of the room.

* * *

Opening her optics was like trying to pry a vault door open with her bear hands. It was a long, painful, and frustrating process. She felt her processor aching an she couldn't feel her arm. It scared her to say the most when she couldn't remember the last thing that had happened to her. She tried to remain calm but when the bright white light above her called to her, she freaked.

"Flamewar..."

She screamed in terror, thinking she was dead, and very much unaware that she recognized the voice speaking to her. She smacked the light with her good hand and she heard a crash as it flew against the wall. She heard someone chuckle across from her as the room went dark.

"Calm down sweetspark, you're not going to die." another light flicked on and she could faintly see a mech sitting on the berth next to hers. His pointy teeth formed an amused smile, but it melted fast when he started coughing. She faintly saw Energon coughed up, but he covered it quickly with his servo. She squinted at him, trying to remember who he was, it wasn't until she saw the purple lacing his optics that she remembered.

"Megatron? What-what are you- how did I-" she shook her head, trying to clear her processor but was met with only an aching pain in the back of her head.

"How are you feeling? You look a little sick." the concern that laced his voice made her smile slightly, despite the pain. "Are you okay?"

Flamewar nodded. "I'm fine, just a little bit cold is all." she reassured him, holding her arm close over her stomach with her good hand. She tried not to look him in the optics. She was not a 'little bit cold', she was freezing...

"Hmm." she heard him grunt as he stood up and crossed the room. She noticed that along with his cough he seemed to have a little trouble walking. But even then, he reached up to one of the storage shelves and brought down a large med-bay blanket. With the faintest of caring looks, he threw it over her and helped tuck it around her more comfortably. "There, is that any better?"

She nodded, once again in the last week surprised at his caring nature. "Yes... Thank-you..." he nodded to her and sat back down. He held a servo to his forehead with a small groan as he lay back down. "Are you okay?"

He nodded slowly, his red/purple optics closed. Flamewar found herself unconsciously looking at his strong arms and sleek frame as he breathed in and out, his silver chest rising and falling with perfect timing. She blushed horribly when he chuckled at her, opening his optics with an amused look.

"Enjoying the view?" he smiled, as if he was trying to embarrass her.

Flamewar looked away as her cheeks heated up. "I'm sorry, I've always found big mechs very attractive." she heard him laugh, and her face went hot red with horror at what she had accidentally said. "N-not like that!"

His chuckle continued, melting into a pleasurable smile. "I know... Soundwave has informed me that you have a very innocent mind when it comes to such things..."

She huffed, rolling her optics. "Goodness, I'm not a Sparkling. I'm not that innocent."

He looked over at her, not so discretely giving her a once over. "With a frame like that, I would hope not. Many mechs would try to take advantage of you."

She groaned in annoyance. "Come on! You sound just like my brother!"

"He has a good point. Believe me, I shamefully even thought about such things at first. Until Soundwave straightened me out..." he gave her an apologetic look.

Flamewar didn't know if she should be amazed at his brutal honesty or disturbed by his suggestions...

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**Sorry, had to end it here. I tried it five different ways and they all seemed to draw out and get boring. We will see some Soundwave/Megatron/Flamewar interaction in the next chapter. Hopefully they get this all sorted out. :)**

**Please Review. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Megatron watched the femme across from him as she recharged on the medical berth, a simple happy smile on his lips. She looked so peaceful as she breathed softly, her fingers curled around the blanket he gave her. She had wrapped herself up in it tightly, all tangled up in the grayish-green sheet with one leg hanging over the side of the berth.

He vented slowly, laying back more comfortably. He wouldn't deny that he found her attractive, even in her interesting sleep positions. She had a certain innocence about her, something that he certainly hadn't ever seen before. And not to mention she was the most physically attractive femme he had seen in a long time...

He glanced over at her again, with a small smirk. He just couldn't stop looking at her, as creepy as it sounded. After their awkward little discussion she had decided to recharge some more and he had agreed jokingly to not leave his spot. She seemed a little unnerved by his bluntness and complete lack of discreet when it came to some subjects. He made a mental note to be a little more careful about his mech-mouth around her after that.

He felt a com ping in the back of his processor and turned to see Soundwave standing near the door, his arms crossed in disapproval. At the sight of his C.O. Megatron's warm smile faded and was instead replaced with a look of unease. He had always trusted the silent mech, since the beginning of their journey he had always been loyal. But since their past incident he had grown a little wary of him. But it seemed he had calmed down very much more since their 'chat'.

Soundwave approached slowly, his strides long and graceful as always. He acknolaged his master with a curt glance, but then moved on to Flamewar. He stood by her berthside, his posture more caring and loving then the Decepticon leader had ever seen. After a moment he sat down at the edge of her berth and moved the blanket back to look at her servo. She stirred at his touch but otherwise was motionless.

Megatron gulped quietly, trying to clear his throat. "S-Soundwave..." the mech froze, but didn't look at him. "I owe you an appology and I hope you can forgive me so we can put this whole incident behind us." he turned slightly at that, looking mildly curious. Megatron shuddered slightly before he continued. "I didn't know she was your sister, if I had I would have left the issue be."

Soundwave nodded in affirmation and turned back to Flamewar, stroking her fingertips with his own. ::You should have taken a hint.:: he objected, ::My business is my own, you should not have pushed the matter.:: he turned to glare at him (at least Megatron was pretty sure he was glaring). ::You should have stopped looking the moment I locked you out of her files!::

Megatron nodded, looking up at the ceiling. "I know... I'm sorry." he sensed the surprise in Soundwave's next statement, even if it wasn't his own words.

::Why?::

He vented, his sharp fingers clawing the berth in his nervous manner. "I'm sorry I had to find out about Flamewar this way. I didn't know you had any living relatives. I would have much liked to meet her under more optimal circumstances."

The silent mech turned away from him. Obviously that wasn't hat he wanted to hear.

"I know you don't like it Soundwave, but..." he scratched his throat, feeling like something was stopping his intakes from cooling his overworked systems. To say he was scared of his friend's reaction was an understatement. "...I'm sure you can tell I am interested in her." when the mech didn't move to strangle him he continued. "I haven't felt like this in a long time, and with your permission I would like to at least see her from time to time. I'll do whatever it takes to gain your approval if that's what you want. I just-" he paused, looking at Flamewar's unscarred face. Scrap, she was beautiful... "I'd like to get to know her."

For a few minutes the med bay was quiet and all he could hear was his own labored breathing. Then, Soundwave moved to take the data pad he had left for Flamewar from her berthside stand. ::Did she read this?:: Megatron shook his head. ::Did you?:: to that Megatron nodded.

The note had contained a message to Flamewar that practically forbade her from looking, talking or listening to Megatron.

Soundwave made a slight hissing sound. At first Megatron took it to be a sound of anger, but when his shoulders slumped in defeat he realized it had been a sigh. He turned off the data pad and tossed it back into the table. ::She's always looked up to you...:: he trailed off. Megatron looked at him curiously, but remained silent. It was uncommon for Soundwave to converse with anyone, even if he was just playing back recordings of others. ::I used to tells her stories of your battles in the arena... She loved those... She was captivated by everything about you...::

Megatron's optic ridges furrowed. "I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to say."

Soundwave's head snapped up and his stance tensed. ::I didn't care if she loved you in those, because they were just stories! Stories can't hurt her, you can. I know the side of you she doesn't. I know how you treat femmes! You act like you care until you get what you want then you just leave them! She doesn't know this.:: he clasped his servos together, looking down at the floor. ::She only knows the honorable things about you, she doesn't know about...:: he paused before continuing. ::She doesn't know about the things that separate you from who you were eons ago. War has changed you. I don't want her to get hurt because of that...::

Megatron felt his mouth go dry at his friend's completely straight forward words. "Soundwave, I swear this is different..." he forced himself to sit up, to become optic level with him, even if it made his head spin. "I don't want to hurt her."

Soundwave looked up as Flamewar stirred behind him. ::We shall continue this conversation later.:: he stated, turning his full attention to his sister. Megatron felt a small pit form in his tanks. He couldn't help but wonder if their next chat would be anything like their last one...

"Soundwave?" she yawned tiredly, rubbing her optics with the back of her servos. "What are you doing here, don't you have work?" her half asleep state made her sound like she was in a dream.

Soundwave caressed her helm lightly with a servo, quietly telling her that he did not have to work for a while.

"Are you still mad at me?"

The question seemed to take both of them off guard. Megatron looked at his C.O. curiously, where Soundwave merely looked guilty. He shook his head at her, telling her that she had done nothing to deserve his anger. She nodded happily, "Good, now make up with Megatron so things can be normal again." she rolled over sleepily and curled up into a ball. "I know it's killing you not to worship the ground he walks on..."

Megatron almost laughed, but was afraid that it might ruin their mending relationship if he did. Soundwave nodded to his sister to ease her worries and when she fell into recharge again he turned back to his master.

::I will have to think master.:: he said simply, standing up. ::If she wakes again I would appreciate it if you would call me. And I wish you a speedy recovery as well.::

Megatron watched the mech leave silently, being sure to take his request to heart. If he was going to gain his trust it was going to take a lot if work.

As he lay down again he went over everything Soundwave had told him. He knew that the mech had good reasons to be concerned for his little sister. He was not exactly the best of mechs out there. In fact, if Flamewar knew just how much of a womanizer he had been, he doubted she would want anything to do with him...

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**Please Review! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

It had been only a few hours it seemed before Soundwave returned to take her away from the med-bay. He wouldn't tell her anything, he only help her to her feet and dragged her away. She followed closely behind, not bothering to say goodbye to her leader as he was in deep recharge.

Her brother seemed a little on edge, but calmer than he had seen him in a long time. He lead her down the hall in a stray pattern that she didn't pay attention to. At first it she thought he was going to drop her off at her room, but a few turns away from the elevator told her different. He strolled with he down a hall, past what he could only guess was the bridge, to a very quiet corner of the upper decks.

Finally, when they were alone in a place devoid of any other life, he let go of her wrist and stopped in front of a large door. Flamewar looks at the purple arched door curiously, but remained silent as he punched in the lock code. She vented, feeling the minutes start to slow down as he passed all security codes. Crossing her arms in annoyance she looked up the hall, waiting for him to finish. It must have been an important place to him if there was such tight security.

"Soundwave, what's going o-" she squeaked as the door opened and he pulled her swiftly into the dark room. "Wave! Don't do that!" she pushed him away from her, shaking her helm in angered disapproval at him pulling her around. "I am perfectly capable of walking myself, I didn't get my foot chopped off. You're just lucky you've been yanking my good servo..." she rubbed both her sore wrists. Soundwave however looked to be ignoring her as he started moving about the room. He released Lazerbeak and she could hear him fly off and the lights turned on.

At first she covered her optics to shield her optics from the sudden change but then the brightness faded more comfortably and she was able to look around. It looked like a personal quarters on super concentrated Energon! There was a living area with two couches and a few end tables, set in from of a large monitor screen. In a corner there were several cupboards stacked with a personal supply of Energon, and a small Energon processor on a counter nearby. Three doors lead into separate rooms, the first was a personal wash racks, decked out with a shower and what looked like a small pool. The second was a little less extreme, a personal berthroom with a desk in the corner. Monitors could also be seen in that room. All in all, the place looked to be in complete order and as clean as it could be... Except the last room. Small berths littered the floor in various areas, toys and other things were piled on the floor and a few were gathered in the berths.

Lazerbeak flew over he head, making her jump out of her admiration if the room, and he entered the messy room. Several squeals and terrifying sounds met him as he disappeared behind the door and it shut.

Flamewar took another look around the room in amazement. The room put Megatron's to shame. "Soundwave... Is this your room?" she couldn't believe it. She hadn't seen anything this nice in... well, she couldn't even remember the last time she had seen a place so nice.

Her brother moved around the room, guiding her to sit on the couch, and went to the cupboard to retrieve an Energon cube. He returned to sit beside her, handing her the small cube, urging her to eat.

"This whole place is yours?" she just couldn't wrap her processor around it. But he nodded, leaning against the back of the chair, comfortably stretched out. She swore if he wasn't wearing his visor she would see him smirking. he had that air of pride about him that she only saw when they were alone together. She bit down on her snack, nibbling at a corner. She tried to look casual. "It's okay I guess." she smiled playfully when he stared at her dumbfounded. "I'm kidding! It's amazing!" he leaned his head back, his version of rolling his optics she had found out.

After a moment in silence, Flamewar put her cube aside and cleared her throat. "Wave, why am I here? Why did you take me here?" needless to say, he had never taken her to his room before. He had always forced their meetings to stay within two levels from her room. She couldn't think of a reason why he wouldn't just bring her back to her place.

The silent mech vented, the nearly inaudible sound joined with the rise and fall of his chest. He turned to look at her slightly with a shrug. He Shrugged. Something was definitely up. He seemed to notice her unquenched curiosity, and he sat up straight again. ::I don't want you to be alone.:: he stated simply.

She raised an optic ridge at him. "And that means...?" she wasn't going to stand for his vagueness. And she wouldn't stop pestering him until he told her the truth.

He shuddered slightly, as if he was scared of her reaction to what he was going to say. ::I'm having your things moved into this room. You are going to live with me now...:: he paused for her to speak, but she just clenched her jaw shut. ::I need to keep you close... It's the only way I can protect you.::

"Protect me from what?" she demanded. She knew he always had her as his top priority, but what was he going to protect her from? The mechs that cowered in fear every time she walked by? He had already helped take care of that problem, so well she feared she would never find a Sparkmate. Injuries at work? Accidents? There was no way to prevent those. "What about my job? I'll have to walk forever to get there from here!" she complained.

::You can switch jobs.:: he answered readily.

She shook her head. "No! Soundwave, I love working on the engines! You can't just tell me to not do the one thing I know how to do well!" she snapped at him, standing up. "What gives you the right to just change my life like this?"

He stood up as well, his servos grasping both her shoulders. ::I am your older brother.:: She didn't care if he was the wisest mech in the universe, she wasn't going to take that as an answer. ::I am your superior. You must do as I say.::

She glared at him murderously. "In not switching jobs, working in the engine room is the only thing that makes life here worth it. I can make a difference there!"

He held his servos up defensively. ::I never said you had to quit, I was merely suggesting that you could.::

"I'm not going to." she said defiantly. He could force her to move, but he couldn't take her life away from her. That was crossing the line. "Why are you really doing this Soundwave?"

He glanced at her pitifully, his shoulders slumped in a defeat only she could manage. ::I don't want Megatron to find you in a place where I can't see you...::

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**Wave's so protective, every girl deserves a brother like that. Someone who will look out for you no matter what and protect you no matter how hard. :) Leave a Review Please. :)**


	11. Chapter 11

"Soundwave, you are being ridiculous! Why are you being such a prick about this? Megatron isn't that bad, he isn't like the others." Flamewar propped her servos on her hips defiantly. She was so sick of his seemingly senseless overprotectiveness.

Her brother nodded, his stance tensing up. ::No, your right. He isn't like the others, he's worse!:: he stated firmly, crossing his arms in his own defiant way. ::You should trust me. I'm your brother. I have known Megatron longer. I would know what I'm talking about, Flamewar.::

She glared at him. "You are overreacting. You always overreact to everything!" she accused, stomping away from him and heading to the door. She opened the door with little difficulty, but stopped when she heard him speak, really speak.

"Was I overreacting about our Sire?"

Flamewar tried to ignore what he had said, but she knew it was useless. He used that example whenever he was extremely serious about something. And he only spoke with his real voice when he really wanted to stress it with her. "No..." she felt her spark clench. "No one could have overreacted about that..."

::Flamewar, after all this time why can't you have faith in me?:: he came up to her from behind and pulled her away from the door, shutting it again. ::Please, the day I took you away from our Sire I swore to always protect you and do what was best for you. Please, trust me sister.::

Flamewar felt tears start to gather in her optics, thinking back to the day when Soundwave had saved them from an abusive home. She had been very little at the time... Closing her optics she sobbed quietly, knowing in her spark that he was right. He was always right.

* * *

Soundwave pulled his sister into his arms and stroked her helm quietly, willing her soft cries to stop. He hadn't wanted to being up their Sire but it was the only way he could think of to tell her how serious he was about Megatron.

As young children their father had abused him and forced him to do everything. He had been able to take it but when Flamewar was born and their mother died he got worse. Every day he would threaten to send him to the gladiatorial pits of Kaon if he didn't do as he was told. Pretty soon he got tired of taking orders from his half drunk father and took a stand against him. It had been the worst mistake of his life. When he was through punishing him he had turned to his little sister and thrown her against the wall. It had damaged her badly.

Their Sire had told him to pack his things and sent him to Kaon. But, instead of taking the things that would help him survive there, he had taken his storage case and smuggled his sister out in it. He had taken her to Kaon with him and hid her where no one could find her but him. There they grew up together in the shadows, never to hear from their Sire again...

Soundwave snapped out of his recollection when he felt Flamewar snuggle her face against his chest. He hugged her tighter against him and rocked her side to side how she liked to be comforted. He had practically raised her all those years and he knew practically everything about her. So naturally he knew she would need more proof then just knowing that she could trust what he said. ::Come with me. There are some people I think you should meet. They will explain the point I wish to make to you. After that you can decide on your own what you think you should do.:: he pressed a section of his chest, calling Lazerbeak back to him. ::You are not a sparkling anymore, I know this. I know you can decide things on your own now, but I do want you to have all the facts first.::

She nodded against him. "Okay..."

* * *

Megatron stood with little to no difficulty and took a few cautious steps. There was no more major pain, no dizziness or Energon pounding in his processor. He felt quite regenerated and renewed. "Once again Knockout I am reminded why I keep you around." he said simply, not even trying to say thanks, but the medic just shrugged.

"You should still take it easy for a few days. If you feel anything out of the ordinary, come see me. And if your too stubborn for that, just lay down and recharge." the red medic waved him away and bent down at his desk to bury himself in data pads.

Megatron walked out into the hall confidently, feeling his strength return to his arms and legs. A smirk played across his face, he felt like himself again. But something had changed. He felt an empty hole in his spark, yet it still soared with light feelings of adventure, the unknown. Flamewar it seemed had become his new obsession...

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**So in the next chapter there will be a number of Transformers-All Cannon-introduced to Flamewar. :)**

**Please Review :)**


	12. Chapter 12

Flamewar didn't know where he was taking her, but she could tell that the surroundings were changing drastically. Instead of the bare, vacant walls, the halls they were traveling we're decorated with pictures and even some little stands with a nicknack or something on them. It was fairly dark but ahead of them a light shown through into a very bright room. She paused just before the open door, not sure what to expect. But Soundwave encouraged her on and she stepped into the room.

The bright pink walls and white furniture, coupled with the high pitched giggling scared her. The giggling stopped and she looked around the room to see a selection of different femmes all gathered on the couches. They all smiled past her and waved at her brother.

"Soundwave!" one of them, colored darker shades of purple and black smiled at him. "Haven't seen you here in a while. Fetching something for your master? Or are you here for something to appease yourself?" she gave him a wink, and Flamewar swore she saw her brother stiffen, as if he was nervous. But he merely motioned to Flamewar.

All optics trained on her for a deadly second of critical staring, but they all smiled at her. "New-bee?" the one next to the first asked, looking at Soundwave with indifference. Flamewar could sense his discomfort, but he merely carried on like nothing was bothering him.

::No. Tell her about Megatron.:: all femmes seemed to heave a collected dreamy sigh. ::I will be back for her in a few hours.:: and with that he left her there, turning to go out the way they had came.

Flamewar stood awkwardly in front of them, feeling very out of place. "Uh, hi?" she waved awkwardly to the femmes around the room with a small smile. All eight femmes smiled back.

The second femme that had spoken stood up and crossed the room to her. "I suppose introductions are in order." she held out her servo and they shook servos firmly. "I'm Nightracer, and these are my colleagues, Manta-Ray, Drag-strip, Clio, Lyzack, Shadow Striker, Esmeral and Thunderblast." she pointed at each femme in turn, ending with the one she had been sitting next to, the one who had spoken first.

"I'm Flamewar." she waved shyly to the others. "Hi."

"No! I already told you, I'm not leaving. Sheesh!" Manta Ray spoke at the wall, looking into the empty space intently, as if she were talking to a friend.

Nightracer laughed when Flamewar looked confused. "Don't worry about her, she's fine. She's a little crazy but she's really friendly." she motioned towards a couch. "Come sit down." she paused as they sat a little ways away from the others, who now were regarding her with indifference and going back to their conversation. "So, the big man's second wants you to know about Megatron? Well, where to begin..."

Flareup swallowed to clear her throat. "Well, what's the connection between Megatron and you guys?" she asked, fearing that she might already know the answer. She didn't want to believe what she was thinking, but it made sense. Megatron was the most powerful mech in the Decepticon faction, he could have whatever he wanted (including femmes).

Nightracer vented, a sound that was more wistful then tired. "Well, I think you could probably guess but I'll tell you anyways..."

With every passing minute, Flamewar became more and more terrified and disgusted. After speaking with the femme she came to the conclusion that Megatron wasn't the knight in shining armor she had pictured. He was in fact a very dirty, and-in Nightracer's words- a very passionate mech in the privacy of his own quarters.

She gulped, feeling the hard lump in her throat increase in size. "So, he's slept with _all_ of you?"

The dark colored femme nodded carelessly. "Yeah, all except Manta. She creeps him out." she munched on an energon cube carelessly. "He hasn't come around in a long time though, sometimes I think he's forgotten about us down here. Thank Primus if he has..." she paused, looking over the brightly colored femme. "So why did Sound bring you here anyways?"

Flamewar looked up at her sadly. "To find out what a womanizer Megatron is apparently..." she felt her spark sink in sadness and disgust.

"Oh, come on. Buck up." she pulled her to her feet with a smile, dragging her to sit with the others. "At least make some friends while you're here. Don't let this trip be nothing but a disappointment."

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**So, the main point of this chapter was to show Flamewar the side of Megatron that she didn't know. Sorry it's so short, and i am going to come back and wdit it later...(I'm not cery happy with it...) Next chapter is almost finished, it should be up very soon. Please Review, and have a better day then Flamewar's having. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13! :) hope you all like! :)**

* * *

Soundwave wandered through the halls back to the nearly empty control room after leaving his sister with Nightracer. No one paid any mind to him as he silently walked by them, pondering. He didn't want her to find out about the dark side of Megatron but it was best that she knew exactly who she was dealing with. He had a very strong bond with Megatron, but even that couldn't help him protect her from his master.

Coming into the control room he reported to his station and started working, all subconsciously while thinking of his first few weeks in Kaon. It had been a little difficult to support him and Flamewar at first. He had found a little hole in the wall that they could live in, far away from any of the older gladiators and he had transformed it into suitable living quarters. But Energon was in short supply for them and the only way to get it was to win the gladiatorial matches. And to enter said match you had to be of age, which was a little bit of a problem.

He had almost been of age, but they wouldn't allow him to fight. He begged them to give him a chance but they merely shoved him aside and went on to the next person, a barely of age mech named Megatronus. So, rejected from the arena, Soundwave resorted to stealing Energon from nearby higher class shops to keep him and Flamewar alive. It worked for a few months until he was caught. He had been scared. Not for himself but for his sister. He had told her never to leave their home. What would happen to her if he never came back?

His sentence for stealing had surprised him but terrified him even more. They had sent him to the pits to be killed by one of their greatest gladiators. If he survived he would be set free. But he had stopped training for the pits since they kicked him out, he knew his fate was sealed. He would die and Flamewar would starve to death.

He was taken to the ring the very next day and thrown into the pit. He had gotten up and brushed himself off, preparing to fight. He wasn't going to give up without a fight. His opponent was the rising star Megatronus. The mech had grown considerably since the last time they had met, but so did his pride and arrogance. He was undefeated and thought himself invincible. That was used for his downfall. After a vicious fight Soundwave had beaten Megatron to the ground, to everyone's shock. But then he had collapsed and blacked out, making the match a tie.

When he had awoken, Megatron had extended his servo out to him in friendship and they had begun to work together. Soundwave was able to fight in the ring despite him being under age and he was able to take care of his sister again...

The silent mech paused in his work, thinking over the events that had transpired in that fight. He had the chance to kill Megatron but he hadn't. That was how he had gained his leader's trust. But he hadn't returned that trust until years later, when he was caught in a deadly Autobot explosion. He had been wounded severely and left for scrap. As he lay on the smoldering floor he had thought his existence was over. But then he saw Megatron fighting through the smoke and debris to find him. He had picked him up carefully and carried him out of the wreckage on his own back.

After a week in recovery, Soundwave was able to thank him for saving his life, but he shrugged carelessly saying that he was short on generals and couldn't afford to lose him. But there had been a certain caring look in his optics as he left, he was sure Megatron would have saved him regardless of the number of his officers.

Soundwave vented slowly, closing down his station. Perhaps he was being a little quick to assume that his long time friend would only hurt his sister. They had known each other for a long time, and had seen many battles together. They trusted each other. Shouldn't he be able to trust him around his sister if that was the case?

He left the bridge quickly, making his way down the hall. He would have to think some more.

* * *

The walk back to his room with Flamewar was silent, which surprised him since when he picked her up she had been laughing and talking with the other femmes casually. She seemed upset, which didn't surprise him given her recent discovery. But she was very quiet, and he didn't understand why.

Soundwave opened the door for her and let her in first before coming in and locking it again. He watched her trudge across the room and slump into a couch, burying her face in her servos. Her shoulders drooped and he could see that she was very unhappy. And her sorrow weighed heavily on his spark.

He approached her quietly and sat down beside her. ::Sister, tell me what is troubling you so.:: he urged her, placing his servo comfortingly on her shoulder. She vented slowly, taking her precious time.

"Is what Nightracer said true? Is Megatron really-" she paused as if trying to force her words out of her mouth. "Does he really use femmes like that?"

He nodded in affirmation.

"Then why didn't you just tell me yourself?" she looked up at him, and he could see the tears starting to form in her optics.

Soundwave vented tiredly and brought her closer to him, hugging her tightly. ::Would you have believed me?:: he inquired. She shook her head. ::You needed to hear it from someone other than myself. You forget, I know you better than anyone. And I only do things for your own good. You are my sister and I love you more than anyone in the universe.::

He retracted his mask so he could look her in the optics more clearly. Her jaw dropped slightly in surprise, but then she smiled. He wiped the lubricants from her optics and smiled back at her, holding her face between both his servos. "No mech is going to hurt my sister..."

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**Thank you all for the reviews! I love them all to death! And they make me so happy! Anyways, I don't know when I'll get the next chapter up. I'm moving in a few days and won't have internet for about a month. If I get a chapter up before then I was extremely inspired, but if I don't just know I haven't abandoned this story, I am just temporarily unable to update. :)**

**Please Review! :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Wow, three chapters in less than a week. I am relatively proud of myself. And I have one more coming soon.**

**Oh yeah, to DRAGOREX. I forgot to thank you in the last chapter for your help with Megatron and Soundwave's past. Thanks a bunch! :)**

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"What do you want me to do?" Flamewar withdrew from her brother's caring embrace, looking up at the scarred face that he had hidden for eons. He hardly ever showed his face to her anymore, but his optics were just as she remembered them, bright blue and full of care for her.

He looked at her quizzically, raising an optic ridge. ::What do you think you should do now?:: he asked.

She mused over the question intently, looking down at the floor. After all she had heard she wished she never had to see Megatron again. But, in her spark she knew that she wanted to be around him even more. He had made her feel happy. Not to mention laugh in raw embarrassment and hide her face when it went red from realizing that she was checking him out. And he was totally cool with it. He never made her feel too uncomfortable with herself, or judge her...

"I think... I need to have some space from him." Soundwave nodded in approval, and she could see the relief spread over him. She felt kind of guilty continuing, but she had to. "I will go on as if I never met him, but..." she saw him tense and off-lined her optics so she wouldn't have to see the look on his face. "If Megatron looks for me, I'd like to get to know him." she looked at him again and he looked miserable. She bit her lip, quick to continue. "I mean, I know he's done a ton of bad things but, anyone can change right?"

Soundwave heaved a heavy sigh and looked at her. She could tell it was killing him to listen to her, but that he was trying to let her make her own choices. She was sure he was formulating some sort of plan that made sure Megatron never saw her again, but she felt better when he nodded to himself.

::You are not a sparkling anymore... You are old enough to make your own choices.:: he looked at her sadly, then sternly. "But, if he does anything to cause you harm I am going to kill him." he said firmly.

Flamewar nodded, standing up. "I'll be careful 'Wave." she assured, giving him a firm shake on the shoulder. "But right now, I just want to be alone..." taking her leave, she exited the room before he could protest.

She shook her head sadly, knowing that Soundwave had to be very upset that she didn't just swear off mechs and pledge to die a virgin right then and there. He tried so hard to protect her from the bad things all the time, she was certain it had to be tiring. So the question she pondered was, did she really want to put him through so much just to satisfy her curiosity? Did she really need to torture him mentally because she had a crush? Couldn't she just forget about it and move on with her life? It would make everyone's life a little easier...

She vented tiredly and rubbed her optics as she wandered down the hall. The silver and purple walls all blended in with each other, and she didn't know where she was going in the slightest. But if she got lost she was sure Soundwave would come find her and being her back.

What would she do if she saw Megatron again? She didn't know if she could look him in the optics again after what she had learned about him. It scared her to say the least, to know one of the dirtiest things about him. Would she be able to look past it to befriend him? She couldn't know for sure.

Coming around a corner, Flamewar stumbled to the side to avoid running into a mech she hadn't seen. She almost fell, flailing her arms uselessly, but a strong servo caught her wrist and pulled her straight again.

"Hey, easy there." The mech gave her a pointed tooth smile. "Wouldn't want you to hurt your pretty self."

Megatron smirked at her and she froze. She had forgotten that her brother lived on the same floor as their leader, and she was a little unprepared to meet him as of yet. She backed up against the wall, eyeing him warily. He looked at her confusedly and took a step towards her.

"Flamewar? What's wrong?"

She did the only thing she could think of. She turned tail and ran, leaving Megatron to look after as she left, wondering what he had said to upset her...

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**More coming soon hopefully. Thank you all for Reviewing. It makes me so happy inside and inspires me to write more. :)**

**Leave a Review :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**So I guess you could call this chapter a song fic. If you wanted to. But come on, you can't have a story about Soundwave and not incorporate a song into it somehow. And this song just fit perfectly. So, I do not own Transformers Prime or the lyrics to Good Girl.**

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Soundwave sat in his quarters after his sister left, feeling his spark ache. He wished she knew exactly what she was getting into. He wished he could just lock her up away from the world forever, but he knew he couldn't. Flamewar had a bit of a stubborn streak, and no matter how hard he tried to keep her out of harm's way she always found a way to stand right in front of it.

Venting slowly and re-dawning his visor he turned on the radio. It was quiet at first, but he turned it up almost full blast to fill the empty room with noise. His mini-cons, which had all been hiding in their room, rushed out into the main room in surprise, but he just waved at them to signal that everything was fine. He continued to switch through earth stations until he found a song compatible to the way he was feeling. Finally he found one and moved into a laying position on the couch, covering his face with a servo in frustration as he listened to the lyrics.

_"Hey, good girl_

_With your head in the clouds_

_I bet you I can tell you_

_What you're thinkin' about_

_You'll see a good boy_

_Gonna give you the world_

_But he's gonna leave you cryin'_

_With your heart in the dirt..._

_His lips are dropping honey_

_But he'll sting you like a bee_

_So lock up all your loving_

_Go and throw away the key!_

_Hey good girl_

_Get out while you can_

_I know you think you got a good man..."_

Normally he hated this singer, but at the moment her words rung so true it make his spark throb sadly. He couldn't stop Flamewar from doing what she wanted to but he wished that he could.

He felt something wet on his finger and looked down at the ground. Ravage sat there by him, wagging his tail sadly with his head cocked. Rumble and Lazerbeak were nearby as well, all looking worried by their master's strange state.

_"Why, why you gotta be so blind?_

_Won't you open your eyes?_

_It's just a matter of time 'till you find_

_He's no good, girl_

_No good for you_

_You better get to getting on your goodbye shoes and go, go, go..._

_Better listen to me_

_He's low, low, low..."_

Soundwave vented again, patting the side of the couch as a sign for Ravage to jump up, which the little con did readily. The cat like Cybertronian curled up comfortably into his side and growled in appreciation when he stroked him behind the Audio receptors. Lazerbeak perched up on the back of the couch, watching him from above, and Rumble climbed up to sit at his feet.

_"Hey, good girl_

_You got a heart of gold_

_You want a white wedding_

_And a hand you can hold_

_Just like you should, girl_

_Like every good girl does_

_Want a fairytale ending, somebody to love!_

_But he's really good at lying girl_

_Yeah, he'll leave you in the dust_

_'Cause when he says forever_

_Well, it don't mean much_

_Hey good girl_

_So good for him_

_Better back away honey_

_You don't know where he's been!"_

Rumble looked at his master questioningly as he started to hum the tune. Soundwave felt no embarrassment in his sad state. He only felt pain. He knew that when this was all over, someone was going to get hurt. And the thought brought tears to his optics.

"What's up boss?" Rumble finally spoke up, but he was ignored.

_"Why, why you gotta be so blind?_

_Won't you open your eyes?_

_It's just a matter of time 'till you find_

_He's no good, girl_

_No good for you_

_You better get to getting on your goodbye shoes and go, go, go..._

_Yeah yeah yeah, he's low_

_Yeah yeah yeah"_

Soundwave found himself actually mumbling the words along with the song, feeling that they were clawing into his soul.

_"::He's no good, girl!_

_Why can't you see?_

_He'll take your heart and break it!_

_Listen to me! yeah...::"_

He sighed and turned off the song abruptly. He didn't want to listen to it anymore. It was just too painfully close to what was going on.

* * *

Megatron looked down the hallway where Flamewar had disappeared and heaves a sigh. "What got into her?" he wanted to venture down the hall to find her, but he knew he had important things that needed his attention at the moment. So, he decided to dismiss her actions until he could find the time to confront her about them.

Continuing the way he was going however, he couldn't stop thinking about the look she gave him. Absolute disgust and a morbid fear. Normally the look wouldn't have bothered him at all, but coming from her it made his spark heavy with guilt for some reason. He didn't even know what he had done!

Shaking his head, he entered the bridge. Apparently an Autobot ship had crash landed somewhere on earth. The signal had been lost however and they were having the hardest time locating it.

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**For you readers of "Lonely", that is indeed Flareup who crash landed. I hope you liked this chapter, please leave a Review and tell me what you think...**

**Btw, there will most likely never be another song chapter in this book I just had to get that out of my system. :)**


	16. Chapter 16

Megatron ran his servo over his optics with a tired vent. Four days he had spent without recharge because of that stupid ship they couldn't seem to locate. Even with Soundwave's help they were clueless. Eventually he came to the conclusion that the ship must have been obliterated in landing. Now he just had to think of some excuse why they should abandon the search...

He growled and glanced over at his C.O. Soundwave had been giving him the cold shoulder since he had arrived on the bridge, and was ignoring him unless given direct orders. It was starting to get on his last nerve. He was already recharge-deprived, he didn't need to be worrying if the mech would slaughter him when everyone left in the change of shift! It was very obvious that he was still edgy around him, and that his opinion of his and Flamewar's acquaintanceship had not changed in the slightest. But Megatron knew that would most likely always be the case. He knew Soundwave would never approve of him seeing his sister.

Closing his optics, Megatron leaned back in his throne to rest his head. He covered his face with a servo as he yawned, trying to muffle the sound so it wouldn't draw unwanted attention. Leaning forward he rubbed his optics again, feeling like he couldn't think straight. He knew he wasn't as young as he used to be, he wasn't old by any means either, but he should still be able to stay up for a few weeks without feeling this tired. Perhaps the situation with Flamewar was taxing his energy more than he had thought...

Glancing up again, he saw Soundwave looking at him. The mech's stance hadn't changed, but something about him seemed different. He looked a little more relaxed, more confident if that was possible.

Megatron felt his private com line activate and opened the channel hesitantly. Soundwave's words took him by surprise to say the least.

::Do you hold physical attraction to my sister, yes or no?:: His unwavering gaze made Megatron want to squirm in his seat, but he refused to budge. He wouldn't allow Soundwave to dominate so easily.

::Yes.:: he answered quickly, not giving a moment to stall. He saw the purple mech flinch, his fingers slowly digging into his work station monitor.

::What do you want with her? Can you not find what you seek anywhere else? Why must you try to take advantage of my sister when you have a dozen other femmes at your disposal?::

::To be fair, I haven't done anything to take advantage of her Soundwave.:: He pointed out, giving the mech a challenging look.

Soundwave nodded curtly in response to that. ::You haven't done anything... Yet.:: he turned from his station to face him. ::I've known you a long time. You will not be good to her, no matter what I say to threaten you.::

Megatron rolled his optics in frustration. "For Primus sake Soundwave, have a little faith in me!" he snapped. He noted that the Vehicons all paused in their work to look up at their master. He glared at them all and pointed to the door. "You are all off duty. Get Out." he growled. His minions filed out obediently, but all looked at him in confusion.

Once he and his C.O. were alone, he stood up squarely and approached the mech slowly. "When it comes to you and your business when have I ever let you down Soundwave? When have I ever given you reason not to trust me? When have I ever gone back on my word when it comes to an affair involving you?" he glared at him, and he saw the mech shy away slightly in guilt. "You have been my greatest comrade, fellow officer, and my best friend for almost my entire life. By now I had hoped that you could have good faith in me as I have come to put my faith in you." he paused to let that sink in. "Was I wrong? Can you not trust me?"

Soundwave was silent a long time. His shoulders were slightly drooped, something he hadn't done in Megatron's presence in a long time. He could tell his words hurt, but the guilt wasn't enough to shake him. ::I trust you Megatron. I trust you as a friend. I trust you in battle. And I trust you with my life. But not with my sister. Nothing you can say or do will ever change that. Accept it.:: he looked up stubbornly and took his leave.

Megatron growled as the mech left, kicking one of the consoles in his frustration. He leaned over a control panel and glared at the screen in front of him. Never before had he felt so confused inside. He wanted to yell, fight, weep, and strangle someone at the same time. His gut felt twisted, and his spark burned in his chest.

He wanted to track Flamewar down and tell her everything that he was feeling, but he laughed at the thought. He wouldn't be caught dead expressing feelings for a femme like that. And if he was caught in that act, he was sure he would end up dead. Soundwave had made it clear he didn't want him near her. But he had to find a way to release some of his frustration. He had to get rid of it somehow before he did anything stupid.

Slamming his fist down on the console, he opened a com link. "Megatron to Nightracer. Report to my private quarters, immediately. And so help me if you don't get your danged aft up here in fifteen minutes I will throw you off this ship personally!" he cut the com before the femme could reply and stalked off to his room.

XXX

Soundwave bit his lip behind his visor hard until he tasted Energon flowing into his mouth. He wanted to punch a wall, the anger built up in him was unbearable! All he wanted to do was keep his sister safe, and Megatron just kept pushing matters! It was driving him insane! He growled behind his mask as he stepped into a longer hallway that would lead him to his quarters. All he wanted to do at the moment was take a long hot cleansing shower.

Taking a calming breath, he stood taller and his strides became his more normal, graceful steps. He knew he hadn't heard the end of it. When it came to Megatron, he never stopped until he got what he wanted. He guessed it was one of the mech's greater qualities...

Perhaps Megatron's words rang with a little truth. He had been focusing so much on all the bad that his master had done that he had forgotten to take some of his more selfless deeds into consideration. He really hadn't done anything to Flamewar to diserve distrust. Perhapse he was being a little to hard on him. He did seem very persistent. If he didn't care about Flamewar at all he would have fulfilled his desires some other way... Maybe by some hand of cruel fate Megatron really did like her?

His trail of thought was inturrupted as Nightracer bolted past him and around the next corner. She gave him a brief hello as she passed, but otherwise sped on her way. He watched her go, his spark sinking slightly. Or maybe Megatron was just the mech he had known for years...

XXX


	17. Chapter 17

**So, I should have more chapters up soon if I can keep going to hotels with Internet. I have at least five more chapters already written, I just have to upload them. :) so enjoy this one. It's a little weird but I think it turned out okay. **

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"This isn't helping any..." Megatron broke away from his careless embrace with Nightracer and wiped a little of her Energon away from his lips. The femme touched her bleeding neck lightly as he stepped away from her, giving him a look of surprise. Normally he never released her until he had his fill. But this time nothing felt right. Every time he went to make his move on her he thought of Flamewar and he couldn't do it. His anger and frustration was only added to, and he couldn't get her out of his head. Every time he closed his optics he saw her, and every time he opened them again he saw Nightracer and felt sick...

He vented irritably and leaned against the wall with his arms outstretched in front of him. He glared at the smooth wall of silver, unable to understand why he felt so guilty. The raw emotions were eating him up from the inside out, and he couldn't control it. He growled a sound that almost came out as a faint whimper and let his head bang against the wall. "What is wrong with me Nightracer? I am too upset to even feel aroused..."

The femme huffed humorously. "That's a first..." she brushed herself off, looking down at the new scuff on her side armor. "What's bothering you exactly?"

He closed his optics tightly for a moment, letting air seep out through his pointed teeth slowly. Nightracer was always his favorite of the femmes. She always seemed to know what to say or do when he didn't. And he could trust her with almost anything. "There is..." he paused, the words beginning to stick in his throat. "There's this femme..." he started, turning around to watch her as he leaned against the wall. She looked right back at him, listening with interest as she sat down on his untouched berth.

He bit his lip as he continued. "She's nothing like what I've ever seen before. She's smart, lightsparked, laughs a lot, shy, very...innocent..." he stopped, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at the floor. "I can't stop thinking about her... Granted, she is beautiful. It was the reason I was first interested in her."

Nightracer rolled her optics. "Of course it was..." she sounded a little disgusted.

Megatron glared at her. "If you have something to say Nightracer come on out and say it. Otherwise don't interrupt me."

She vented. "Well, considering the kind of mech you are Megatron you can't blame me for using sarcasm. I'm pretty sure the only reason you're acting interested in her is because you want her."

This time he rolled his optics at her. "Well of course. But this is...surprisingly different..." he trailed off quietly, his optic ridges furrowed in thought. "I'm not sure how to describe it. But, there is just something that sets her apart from you and the others. Somehow, I feel differently towards her..."

Now Nightracer looked at him curiously. "Do you...like her? I mean like, future 'Mrs. Megatron' like her?" her gaze cut into him and he felt surprisingly panicked.

"N-no! Of course not." he couldn't meet her gaze at all. He felt something warm and fuzzy in his gut and he felt sick. He had never considered that an option before, but the idea terrified him. Future Sparkmate? No, not for him. He could never settle down like that. Especially not while the war was still going on. It would distract him too much. "Why-why would you get that idea?" he stuttered and mentally slapped himself, feeling Energon rush to his cheeks in embarrassment.

Nightracer gave him a look of mock thoughtfulness. "Well, that's darn hard to tell. I don't know. Maybe it was the fact that you've just described a crush. You're blushing, stuttering, and unable to look me in the optic. And-now you're aroused." she finished with a smirk.

Megatron looked down at his armor and back up, feeling humiliated. He quickly turned away from her to face the wall again. "You are enjoying this aren't you?" he closed his optics, willing his body to calm down. He slowed his vents and concentrated on the wall in front of him.

Nightracer laughed. "Immensely enjoying every moment."

He groaned, letting his helm bang against the wall again. "Nightracer, you're a girl. What would you suggest I do? I cannot even go near her without Soundwave flipping out. Pardon my slang..."

She gasped behind him. "Oh, it's Flamewar! Soundwave's sister right? That explains so much!" she nodded to herself and he growled.

"What are you talking about femme?" he whirled around to glare at her but she just ignored it. "You've met her?"

She nodded carelessly. "Yeah. Soundwave brought her by a few days ago to learn more about your, shall we call it, passionate side. She and I had a really long conversation about it."

Megatron buried his face in his servos, groaning loudly. That explained the look she gave him. She must hate him now, after learning that about him. How would he ever be able to face her now? "Was she upset much?" he asked, still hiding his face from her as he slid down the wall to sit on the floor.

She nodded. "A little bit. She was more disgusted than anything I think. It definitely gave her some things to consider about you."

He vented slowly and looked up at the femme sitting on his berth. "Thanks a lot Nightracer, you can go now."

She looked surprised. "What-?"

He held up his servo to silence her. "Just. Go... You've done my conscience more than enough damage for one night. Just please leave." she didn't need any more convincing. She left him alone in his room to ponder over everything.

How was he ever going to be able to look Flamewar in the optics again? She was disgusted with him, and admittedly if he was in her position he would be too...

He went to lay down on his berth, venting tiredly. Maybe he'd be able to figure it all out after some recharge. Then, maybe he'd seek out Soundwave and apologize. He didn't know why exactly, it just felt kind of right. The only thing he knew for certain was that he was never going to call on Nightracer or her friends ever again. He needed to clean up, get his act together and figure everything out. So, the first thing on his personal agenda for when he woke up was to release the femmes from their position and send them to more useful places on the warship.

With that in mind he shut down. But his recharge was tormented and restless. He couldn't stop seeing Flamewar's optics. Full of fear and disgust...

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**Leave a Review please! I'll update as soon as I can! :)**


	18. Chapter 18

Flamewar vented tiredly as she stroked her fingertips over Ravage's pointed audio receptors. He purred gratefully and leaned into her touch, begging for more. Over the past few days she had become fond of the feline mini con, along with his two companions Rumble and Lazerbeak. They were good companions, nice and understanding. Of course they didn't chatter much. She could tell why Soundwave kept them around.

Leaning back with a quiet groan, she scooped the mini-con into her arms, kissing his forehead before releasing him down on the floor. Ravage whined in protest, but was soon off with the others to their room. And within a few moments she was alone again.

Over the past few days she had spent most of her time down in the engine room repairing a busted cooling system. Her joints hurt from the non-stop work, and she felt weak from lack of Energon refueling. But despite her over worked self, she still had plenty of time to think about her leader. She couldn't deny to herself that she wanted him to want her. She had liked him from the moment she met him, and adored him for centuries before that. He was all that she had ever dreamed about.

Flamewar sighed, trying to ignore the image of Megatron floating around in her mind. She had to remember that although she liked him, he might not like her the same way. Over the last few weeks she had learned a lot about him that she didn't like, but she still liked him... Was that what love felt like? No matter what he did wrong she never stopped dreaming about him in recharge and thinking about him every waking moment. It was kind of annoying actually...

Hearing a knock on the door she groaned shakily in exhaustion. Soundwave was out flying to clear his head at the moment and she was pretty sure the visitor wasn't for her, so she decided to ignore it. She was just about to shut down to recharge when he heard the knock again. "Oh come on..." she complained, pulling herself up to her feet. She stumbled awkwardly over to the door and punched in the code to open it. "What do you-" when she saw the mech standing before her the question died in her mouth and she froze, her spark beating out of her chest.

Megatron looked a little surprised at first but then he smiled, nodding in greeting to her. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, but I am pleased to see you Flamewar. I have something I'd like to talk with you about, but first I am looking for Soundwave." he looked past her into the room. "Is he around?"

Flamewar's frame shook violently in terror. He wanted to talk with her. Soundwave wasn't around. What was she going to do? She wanted to run away. To slam the door in his face and hide in a very dark corner. Her fear must have been printed on her face, she noticed that Megatron's gaze softened considerably. He reached out to touch her shoulder but she backed away quickly, shying away from him. The action seemed to stun him, and she swore she saw pain flash through his optics, but it was quickly covered with concern.

"Flamewar, are you alright?" he stepped forward, but didn't enter the room. And she continued to back away. He vented, a sad look on his face. "This is because of what Nightracer told you, isn't it?" She looked up at him, stepping behind a piece of furniture nearby. How could he have known that? Her silence seemed to only fuel him further. He stepped into the room, following her around the furniture. "Look, I can't change what I have done in the past but I can assure you that I'm not going to cause you any harm."

She stumbled over a chair, falling backwards in her attempt to keep away from him. She grunted as she hit the floor, but continued to fumble away from him when he reached out to help her up. She wouldn't let him touch her. She wouldn't be alone with him anymore even if Soundwave was aboard the ship. She didn't trust him at all. "G-get away from me." she whimpered in fear as she backed up against a wall. She curled up into a ball with her helm on her knees and her arms over her head defensively. "Leave me alone..." she wished now more than ever that Soundwave was there...

* * *

Megatron knelt down in front of the frightened femme, concern lacing his optics. His spark felt a little heavy when she reacted the way she had. She was afraid of him, shaking and sobbing in absolute terror. Something in his spark urged him to wrap his arms around her and hold her until she stopped crying, but he resisted. If he was correct, he was sure that it wouldn't help in the slightest.

He sighed air through his teeth slowly and got down on both his knees. He reached out and touched her shivering shoulders, holding her still so she couldn't run away again. "Hey..." He stroked his thumb over her audio receptors carefully, speaking quietly. "Flamewar, calm down. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." he took one of her servos in his own and urged her to look up at him. "Hey, come on." he lifted her chin slightly and he saw that her optics were filled with tears. "I promise, I'm not going to harm you. Trust me." those last two words left a funny feeling in his mouth but he ignored it, instead trying to make her smile. "Soundwave would have my head if I did."

She looked up at him, her soft pink lips moving without words for a moment until she found her voice. "Why are you here?"

He scooted a little closer to her, stoking the tense wiring in her shoulders calmingly. "Well, I came to talk to Soundwave. Now I suppose I'm here to explain myself to you."

She looked up at him, wiping her tears away on the back of her servo. "What do you mean?"

Megatron vented slowly, tiredly. "I spent a long time thinking last night, and I think if you heard some of the things you know straight from me, you wouldn't be so afraid of me anymore. And..." he paused, seeing the look of shocked curiosity on her face. He felt his fingers reaching out to stroke the curve of her jaw, but he pulled back. "And I should come clean about some things you should know."

"Like what?"

He cleared his throat with a cough once, looking down at the floor. "Like what? Well... I suppose the first thing you should know is that I like you." she froze beside him and he didn't even bother to look up. He knew she was panicked again. "I like you a lot..."

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**Dun dun dunnnn! :) I think I'm gonna leave you with that for now, cuz I'm just mean like that. Next chapter will be out soon if I can find an Internet connection. In the mean time, Please Review :) **


	19. Chapter 19

**So it has been pointed out to me that Megatron is very OOC, and believe me I know. He's supposed to be going a little soft, and he realizes that later on. So, just keep in mind that he will be returning to his "_normal" _self in later chapters. **

**Anyways! Enjoy this chapter, because this may be the last one I post for a while. **

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"Well, what do you say Flamewar? Can you look past all the things I have done and at least give me a chance to prove myself to you?"

Flamware looked up at Megatron thoughtfully. After their talk she wasn't afraid of him anymore, but she was still uneasy around him. She was surprised at how honest he was about his affairs with the other femmes she had met. Every time she asked a question he had told her everything without holding back, a look of guilt and almost shame lurking in his purple tainted red optics. He had explained his plan to assign the femmes to work stations were their war skills would be put to more use, and that he was done with them. He had even told her about his meeting with Nightracer the evening before, admitting everything.

She shook her helm slowly. "I don't know Megatron..." she couldn't think straight after everything he had said. His honesty, his brutal honesty about everything made her uncomfortable, but at the same time it gave her some assurance. If he was willing to tell her everything in as much detail as he had didn't it make sense that he really wanted to gain her trust? It worked a little, but it also disturbed her even further. Nightracer's story had at least been filtered and censored a little bit, and his definitely had not.

"Flamewar, please- just give me a chance." he bit his lip, somehow she was sure it had been an unconscious act but it showed that he was nervous. "If I do anything to screw up I won't bother you any more. I'll leave you alone. All I'm asking for is one chance."

She felt her spark flutter happily, and she tried to suppress her excitement. She had to be careful. Whatever she said-whatever she did, she couldn't be rash about it. She had to think things through, even if the sight of him almost desperate made electricity tickle through her. "I don't know..." she tried to smirk, but was pretty sure it had turned into a full fledged smile. "Is that the closest thing you have to begging?"

He released some pent up breath when she became a little playful, shaking his head. "I had hoped to avoid things coming to that."

"Would you beg?" she asked, honestly curious what he would say, but mostly just messing with him. He looked a little edgy, his fingers digging into the softer gel padding of the couch.

Megatron looked down at the floor, clasping his his servos between his knees. "I don't want to..."

She raised an optic ridge at him testily. "So you _won't_ beg?"

He grit his denta harshly, a small growl escaping him. "I will if I have to." he conceded.

"So you will?" she couldn't help but laugh at his discomfort. He looked so uptight it was hilarious. To her it was such a light conversation, but to him it looked like he was sentencing himself to a punishment more horrible than death.

He vented. "Femmes!" he cursed quietly. "Fine. I see where this is going. I'd best just get it over with..." He slid off of the couch they were sitting on and knelt down on the floor on both knees in front of her. "Flamewar." he took both her servos in his own and looked up into her optics. She was shocked into silence at his actions and merely let him continue. "I am on my knees, _formally_ and _officially_ begging you to give me a chance to be the best mech you have ever known. I am begging you to please, _please-please-please!_- give me just one chance to be with you. Because I'd really like to date you..." He trailed off and they were both silent for a few minutes.

Finally, when he started to twitch uncomfortably, Flamewar giggled quietly. "I wasn't really going to make you beg Megatron-" he rolled his optics with an embarrassed growl, and stood up to turn away from her. "-but I liked it."

He froze where he stood, his back turned to her. She heard him take a steadying breath and smiled sympathetically. "So? Don't make me say it again. Will you consider a dating relationship with me or not?" His voice was strained, like he was forcing the words to come out. Maybe she had pushed him a little too far out of his comfort zone... She made sure to make a note of that for later.

Flamewar stood up to join him, trailing her servo over his shoulder as she circled around him to face him directly. His gaze held hers fixedly, awaiting anxiously for her to speak. She gripped both of his shoulders firmly and tapped his pointed armor lightly with a finger in thought. "Alright, here's what we'll do." She finally decided, and he watched her carefully. "Let's just say I believe everything you told me and I accept that you would try to change your ways to get me to date you... It's a stretch, but I'll go with it. So, here's the deciding factor for me." she stepped a little closer to him and her servos slid the the crook of his neck. "I'm going to kiss you. If I like it, I'll date you. If I don't, you are going to march right out that door and I better not see you ever again. Got it?"

His optics went wide. "What-?"

Flamewar pecked his scarred lips quickly, barely lingering a second before pulling away. It had been warm. And besides the chills running down her spine, there wasn't much to add to that. "Hmm." It hadn't been bad but she wasn't exactly impressed. She looked at him critically and he stared back, looking almost cheated.

"That was hardly fair..." he objected. She raise an optic ridge at him, but he didn't even pause. "You call that a kiss?"

She propped her servo on her hip. "Well, what would you define as a kiss?" she hardly had time to squeak before Megatron pulled her to him. His servos wrapped around her petite waist firmly and he kissed her.

It wasn't warm at all. It was hot! She had never imagined a kiss like his. His lips moved over her's hungrily, but not invasively. She was very aware that he was keeping his glossa inside his mouth and also that his servos moved up her back to rest behind her shoulders. It was very passionate. And when he separated from her it left her breathless.

"Now what do you think of that?" he asked, sounding much more satisfied.

Flamewar's knees felt weak and she nearly collapsed, but his quick servos caught her and brought her closer to him so she wouldn't fall. "I-I think I'm a little dizzy." she clung to his chest armor for support, letting her helm rest against him as she collected herself. "But I definitely liked it... That was amazing."

Megatron's posture straightened proudly and she giggled, rolling her optics at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, pulling him closer to whisper in his audios. "You have my approval Megatron."

::He sure as hell doesn't have _mine_.::

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**Oh Soundwave... *mischivious giggle* Leave a review. :)**


	20. Chapter 20

Soundwave was furious. No words could describe his rage or his feelings of betrayal. The fact that Megatron had gone begin his back to get acceptance from Flamewar made his spark burn with hate. He had trusted him, and the mech had double-crossed him. The thought made him sick!

Megatron quickly moved away from Flamewar, putting a little distance between him and his C.O. But Soundwave didn't advance on him. He was too busy trying to collect himself. His sister looked at him, a glimpse of fear in her optics. He didn't know what to make of it all. She had been smiling when she was with Megatron, and now he was scared. He didn't know what to do.

"Soundwave it wasn't his fault." Flamewar finally broke the tight silence, moving closer to him cautiously. "I kissed him first."

That caught him by surprise. He knew that she liked Megatron, but why- Primus forbid- would she kiss him? She hardly knew him! It made no sense and only added to his anger. He turned away from her to face Megatron, not wanting to take his rage out on her for what happened.

::You!:: he pointed at his commander dangerously. Pulling back his visor he glared at him murderously. The mech flinched but didn't say anything. "You no good- double crossing- spark breaking- Aft!" he shouted, his rage boiling over finally. "You will not make a whore out of my sister! I will off-line you if you ever touch her again, you know good-son of a glitch head! And if you don't clear out of here in two seconds I'm going to scrap you!"

Megatron looked at him a little wide optic in surprise, but then calmly walked past him to the door. He heard the door open, but he didn't leave. The mech paused in the doorway, tapping a finger on the frame thoughtfully. "You know Soundwave, you can't keep her to yourself forever. One of these days something could happen to you, and she would be left with no one. Think about that next time before you call me a spark breaking aft. I've already told you I don't want to hurt her."

"Get Out!" Soundwave repeated, not even turning around to look at him. His cooling systems threatened to overload as his chest heaved to take in air. He hadn't been this angry in a long time, perhaps since the time his sire had tried to hurt Flamewar...

"I don't want to hurt her Soundwave, and I don't want to lose you as a friend. I came here today to find you, so I could apologize to you. I don't really know why, but I was going to. Now all I have to say is this... I had a sister too Soundwave. I'm pretty sure you remember her. Do you really think I would use your sister after what happened to mine?"

Soundwave glared even harder at the wall. "Nightracer and the others have or had brothers too Megatron, why should you treat my sister any different then you did theirs? Think about that."

The mech had nothing to say to that, and he left. Soundwave took a moment to collect himself before turning his attention to his sister. "Flamewar what really happened here- Flamewar?" she wasn't in the room with him.

* * *

"Megatron!"

He heard Flamewar running to catch up with him and slowed down for her. He wasn't really in the mood to talk with her at the moment, but he knew that was only because he was mad at Soundwave. When she caught up to him he tried to smile, but failed and looked away from her. "Forgive me if I don't seem too chatty-"

"I'm sorry my brother's being really unreasonable. He's just trying to protect me. The only family we have left is each other... It's not easy for him to let me go." she wrapped her servos around his arm and pulled him to a stop. "I didn't know you had a sister..."

He looked at her for a moment, debating if he should really talk about it with her. It was obvious that she wanted to know, but that was a sore spot for him... "I did, a long time ago." he continued on the way he had been going but she didn't leave his side.

"What happened to her?"

Megatron bit his lip in annoyance, not sure what he could say that wouldn't sound rude. "Look, I don't want to talk about it-" he stopped suddenly, looking around the hall. Vehicons traveled back and fourth busily and yet they all seemed to be listening to the two of them. "-At least not here..."

She nodded in understanding, falling behind him to slowly back away. "Okay, I guess I'll see you later." she nodded in farewell and started to retreat back to her room. She didn't get far before he turned and snatched her servo to stop her however. He did it out of reaction more than anything, and he realized that he wanted to talk with her, and have her stay with him. She watched him quizzically until he finally found something to say.

"Have you ever been on the deck of the Warship?"

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**Sorry it was so short. Please Review, I'll have more out soon. :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Okay, promise that the OOC Megatron will be coming to an end. He seems too emotional in this chapter, but for the sake of this story he will have to be a little emotional to sort of bond with Flamewar, if that makes any sense. It will be coming to an end soon though. **

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Being on top of the warship, under the dark star littered sky, with Megatron was in one word: exciting. Flamewar could hardly contain her smile as he helped her down onto one of the lower platforms. It had been so long since she had been outside she had practically forgotten what it was like. Closing her optics she simply took in the sensations. It was cold, crisp and windy. The air was fresh, and she could just make out the sounds of crashing water over the roar of the ship's engines.

She heard Megatron chuckled beside her and she opened her optics again, giving him a sheepish smile. "You don't get out much do you?" he smirked, walking over to one of the ship's wings. He sat down on the ledge with his legs dangling in the open air over the land and ocean very far below. He beaconed for her to sit down, but she was a little hesitant. She wasn't a very big fan of heights.

"No, I don't get out much. Soundwave's always afraid something bad'll happen to me if I go out places on my own." she sat down next to him, but kept her legs on the ship. "I know he's just being the best big brother he can be, but it does get annoying some times."

Megatron nodded, looking down at the far away ground. His optics were sad, and full of guilt. "Every femme deserves a brother as protecting and caring as yours. I unfortunately wasn't a very good big brother..."

"What happened?" she scooted a little closer to him. Her servos itched to reach out to him and hug him, comfort him in any way she could, but she restrained herself.

He shook his head in disgust. "I ignored her. I dismissed her worries and she had to pay the ultimate price for my stupidity..." he looked away from her, but not before she saw the Energon gathering in his optics. "My sister was very special to me. But when we were sent to the Pits my focus had to change. I had to learn to fight to keep us both alive. During that time though, she and I started to grow distant. She said I was changing, and that she didn't like it. But I had to adapt to the situation!" he growled, grinding his denta. Flamewar watched him, unmoving, waiting for him to continue.

"Anyways... We fought a lot after that, always yelling at each other. But one day she came to me looking scared. She said that-" he nearly choked. "-that she was being followed around... I told her it was probably nothing and that she was just being paranoid..." there he stopped, and just when she thought he wouldn't continue he spat out the rest. "Two days later she was spark raped and killed."

Flamewar gasped, holding a servo over her mouth. She felt tears starting to form in her optics at the mere thought of it.

Megatron looked at her sadly, taking her servo in one of his own. He vented tiredly and caressed her face lightly. "Soundwave is my friend. I know I have done nearly the same thing to other femmes as that mech had done to my sister all that time ago but... You are different. I would never want to cause Soundwave even half of the pain I had gone through with my sister." his thumb brushed over her bottom lip and she smiled. "And I don't want to break your spark either..."

Flamewar looked down at the far away ground. "But Soundwave was right. Those other femmes had siblings too. What difference is there between me and them except that you know my brother?"

"Sometimes that's all it will take to change a person's point of view." he said quietly, and added even quieter. "And I think it has been well established that I am not much better of a mech than the average scumbag..."

She nodded. "That's true." she laughed when he looked at her, shocked, and shoved him lightly on the shoulder. "But I have high hopes that maybe you can some day get Soundwave's approval."

"I'm afraid that only a close death experience could change his mind now. And I wouldn't wish that on him." Megatron rolled his shoulders to stretch them and laid back onto the floor. "I hope it doesn't have to come to something that drastic..."

"Me too." Flamewar propped her head on her servos and laid down a little ways away from him, looking up at the stars. For the remainder of the night they lay there and talked about whatever came to mind, just enjoying the scenery and each other's company. Both of them unaware of Soundwave watching their every move, his spark heavy with helplessness. He couldn't protect someone who didn't want to be protected. And Flamewar was practically throwing herself out to the wolves...

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**Leave a Review please. :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**To DRAGOREX, the answer to your question 'where is Dreadwing during all this?' is answered in this chapter. There might be more of him later on in the story, kind of like what you suggested a few chapters ago, but I'm not quite sure yet. Anywho! Enjoy this chapter. :)**

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Soundwave was sitting in the wreck room (something he hardly ever did), and drinking a dose of high grade (something he did far less often). He had watched them for hours. Listened to them talk about him behind his back, right in front of him. And it all made him sick to his tanks. He wanted to do something, but he had done everything that he could. And Flamewar had stomped out his efforts the minute she walked out of his door to follow Megatron. So after all that had happened, all the time wasted trying to keep her safe, he figured he deserved something to drink. If anything it took his mind off of things...somewhat.

He looked across the room to some mechs, who were all busy ogling one of the new members of their ranks. Nightracer sat by herself on one of the couches in the corner, and by the way she kept her head held high as she read over her data pad Soundwave was sure she was very aware of the attention she was getting. But the downward curl of her lip told him she didn't like it.

Tapping the side of his Energon container twice in thought, he toyed with the idea of going over to her and saying hi. Maybe by visiting with her the other mechs would ease off her a bit. And perhaps he could get to know her a little bit in the process...

Finally he stood, making a decision. He would go talk to her. He had nothing to be nervous about. He was just going to say hello and ask what she thought about her new position in the crew. That wasn't too hard... But when she looked up at him he felt his spark clench. He quickly turned his head and instead walked right past her and into the hallway. It was hard for him to talk to her. He had been trying to get her alone to talk for years... But no matter how hard he tried he could never get himself to do it. He just couldn't put himself on the spot like that, not when so much could be at stake.

He continued through the upper decks, silently making his way past the Vehicons as they ran about working. Dealing with Megatron and Flamewar was becoming too hard on him. He just couldn't focus on anything, and his emotions were all a mess. Outwardly he remained calm, but on the inside his spark was beating with blood lust. He wanted to strangle Megatron! He wanted to see his poisoned Energon in a pool on the floor, surrounding his lifeless body! But... He couldn't.

He just couldn't.

Megatron had been there for him for centuries. They had protected each other without question. And they had been friends... Soundwave could officially say that was now not the case. But he still couldn't murder him in cold blood, Flamewar would be upset. Although the two of them probably didn't know it yet, she was in love with Megatron. It was written all over her face. But Megatron didn't know how to see it. All he saw was a pretty femme, an that was all he'd ever see in her.

Soundwave shook his helm, cursing the day Megatron was conceived. And he vented, realizing that even though he hated his master at the present, he still had to perform his duties as third in command. Today he was taking over of the mining operation to give Dreadwing a much desired break.

He stumbled as he turned a corner, but quickly righted himself befor any of the passing Vehicons could see. Maybe he'd wait for the high grade to wear off first before he did anything.

* * *

Throughout the night, Flamewar didn't know if she should be relieved or worried that Soundwave had been gone so long. He hadn't left any note and he didn't even see her to say goodbye before he left. She didn't know where he was or when he would be coming back, and it made her restless. What if he never came back?

She would be alone.

What would she do then? If Soundwave never came back she wouldn't know what to do. She wasn't even sure she would stay with the Decepticons. She would probably go rogue and wander the gallaxy until she found some piece of mind... At least she would if Megatron wasn't really interested in her. If he really liked her she would stay with him forever. But that wasn't the question on her mind.

Where was Soundwave? Where was her brother? Did she push him away when she left to go with Megatron? Did he not care what happened to her anymore? She felt so guilty inside she wished she wished she could scream. Her brother was probably so angry...

Flamewar wiped a stray tear away from her optic and flopped onto Soundwave's berth. She felt horrible. Even though she had enjoyed her time alone with Megatron she wanted to wish it away. She should have stayed with Soundwave instead of running off with the mech he was trying to keep her away from.

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**Sigh... Poor Soundwave... Exhausted, frustrated, overworked, lovelorn with a femme who doesn't suspect a thing (Nightracer if any of you were wondering). And Flamewar...ugh, poor girl. Doesn't know what she should do, what she did wrong, or if her brother Will ever come back... I guess Soundwave should've written her a note. lol. :P**

**Leave a Review :)**


	23. Chapter 23

Megatron stared at his reflection in the mirror, glaring at himself. His purple optics locked with the reflection's and he searched them, unsure what he would find. He was changing. He felt it in his spark, body and mind. He was going soft. This whole issue with Flamewar was becoming too overwhelming. After all that drama and time to reflect upon it he realized he needed to distance himself from her. She was consuming him and distracting him from his priorities.

"You knew that she would." he scolded himself, still glaring into the mirror. "You knew that this would happen if you let her get in your head, and you let her anyways!" he growled and dug his fingers into the wall in front of him. "You are the leader of the whole Decepticon Army! Pull yourself together!" he flinched at his own ferocity. He would admit, he even scared himself sometimes.

"You can't lose focus over something so trivial as a simple femme. She is nothing compared to the war. Get your damned priorities straight!" he stood up straight and turned to exit the room. But he stopped, his spark burning in his chest. He throat constricted tightly and he could hardly breathe. Closing his optics tightly he growled and punched the wall. No matter what he said every time he was alone, every time he was working, beating a Vehicon to scrap for failing, no matter the situation he couldn't get that accursed femme out of his head!

"Primus, what have you cursed me with?!" he swore, stomping over to his Energon storage cabinet. He knew it had been his fault, he was the one that pursued Flamewar despite all his chances to turn back, but somehow it felt better to have someone else to blame for his predicament. He growled, grabbing a dose of equal dark Energon and regular, drinking the polluted substance in a few gulps and wiping the excess from his lips.

After the issue with Unicron trying to control him, he had tried to take the dark Energon crystal out of his spark chamber. The result was met with him collapsing into stasis. Soundwave had quickly placed the crystal back inside him to stabilize him and after a visit with Knockout it was deduced that without Dark Energon, Megatron would be unable to survive. So he took it with his daily rations, hoping that someday he might be able to ween himself from it, despite what his doctor had said.

He was a living zombie. A conscious dead. Without the Blood of Unicron he was nothing but a stasis locked body waiting to be off-lined.

Megatron vented, looking down at his chest. The Decepticon insignia pulsed with a purple glow, reminding him yet again of the thing he had become. But how could a monstrosity like himself go weak? How could a gladiator such as himself go soft, because of a femme?

He wasn't sure how to react to these sudden changes. But he knew one thing for certain. He had to distance himself from Flamewar and not show any emotion towards her in front of the crew. That was all he could do.

* * *

Soundwave looked over the charts with Dreadwing, going over some of the recent tunneling they were able to accomplish in the Second's absence. The Seeker looked impressed at the feat, but the silent mech just brushed it off as unimportant, moving on to other matters.

::West wing has become unstable. Multiple cave ins have occurred in the region since your absence. I recommend a full evacuation of the area as soon as possible.:: Soundwave reported, using the Vehicon's voice that had reported to him earlier.

Dreadwing nodded in understanding. "I will take that advice into account Soundwave. Now, you may return to the Nemisis and report back to our Master." he waited for the mech to leave, but the C.O. was completely still. "Is there anything else you wish to report?"

Soundwave shook his helm in the negative, looking at the mech unflinchingly. ::I wish to remain and oversee the project under your authority.:: he didn't really want to stay, but it kept him from having to go back to Megatron. He had only been gone a little while, an he still hadn't gotten over everything. He knew he needed more time. And luckily it seemed Dreadwing didn't mind a officer helping him.

"Request granted. Take over the north and east corridors. I will continue to the south and west. I will look to see if the western is to be as concerned about as you suggest..." With that said, the two mechs went their separate ways.

Not a few minutes later, Soundwave felt the ground start to shake...

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**? Muahahahaaaa!**

**Please leave a Review :)**

**...**

**I won't post the next chapter if you don't! (Just kidding! The next chapter is already written. It will be up soon :)**


	24. Chapter 24

Flamewar took her oiled rag and wiped it over the long piston as it was temporarily stopped. The black machine grease smeared over it unevenly but she didn't really care, it would spread out with time. Unlike most of her fellow workers, she liked working with grease. After it was all done you could actually see the difference you made. So naturally she jumped at the opportunity to grease all the sliding parts in the accessible engines.

She vented and set the dirty rag down on her knee as she finished the last piece. It was such an accomplishment to finish so much in only two days, it made her feel good inside. But on the outside she was tired and extremely sore. Not to mention she was covered in black grease. But she felt like she had done something helpful, and that made all the difference.

Her body shook in disapproval as she stood up, stretching her legs. It hurt to stand up straight but she forced her body to bear it so she could end her shift and go take a much needed cleansing shower. She passed by Nightracer on her way to clock out, and have her a tired wave.

"Finally getting cleaned up?" the femme looked over her data pad at her with a smile.

Flamewar smiled back at her new partner, rolling her optics slightly. 'Racer had been bugging her to go take a shower for the last day and a half. "Yeah, my shift's over. Time to clean up and relax finally."

Nightracer gave her a sly smile. "You going to go see Megatron later? From the sound of things you two are hitting it off pretty good so far." she winked at her and laughed as she blushed.

"I told you already, nothing's happened!" she growled in annoyance as the other femme continued to giggle. "And for your information I'm not going to go see Megatron, I'm going to go check up on Ravage and Rumble because Soundwave's away."

Nightracer nodded, humoring her. "Okay, okay...sure you are."

Flamewar rolled her optics again, shrugging her shoulders in an attempt to ignore her new friend's sarcasm. Finally able to take her leave, she took the next elevator up to the upper decks. However, she hardly had time to step out of the elevator before her com line buzzed.

::Megatron to Flamewar. Report to the bridge immediately.:: The communication was cut before she could reply. With a tired sigh, she stepped back into the elevator and went down a level to the bridge...

* * *

Megatron bit his bottom lip in frustration, looking over the report again. He wasn't sure how to tell Flamewar what had happened, but he knew he had to think of something fast. Not a few minutes after he had contacted her, she walked through the door and into the bridge.

He didn't turn to face her right away, keeping his optics on the computer screen in front of him and clasping his servos behind his back. He never dreaded giving news like this to anyone. But this time it was hard for some reason.

"Flamewar..." he started slowly, refusing to turn around to meet her gaze. "There was an explosion in one of the Energon mines Soundwave was watching over yesterday. The unofficial report is that while helping others escape-" he gave Dreadwing a side look and the mech looked down in an emotion that looked like regret. "-he was caught in the blast and the room collapsed on top of him." he heard Flamewar gasp, and he cringed slightly. "We are not sure if he is alive, but I have all available personnel excavating the sight to find him..."

His emotionless façade melted away when he heard a quiet, mournful sob. Finally he turned around to see her, and the sight before him almost made his spark flicker in sadness. Flamewar was a mess. Her usually bright clean armor was covered in black blotches and she had tears were streaming down her face. She had sunk to the floor on her knees and was sobbing into her servos uncontrollably. She was the ideal image of a broken spirit.

Megatron looked at her uncertainly. He didn't want to go forward and look weak in front of his crew, but in his spark he knew that if he didn't she could hate him forever. But, his deciding factor was Dreadwing starting forward to comfort her when he wasn't. He quickly held up a servo to stop him, and then went forward before anyone else could attempt to.

He knelt down beside the crying femme, wrapping his arms around her tightly and pulling her up to her feet. He was caught off guard by how desprately she clung to him, but he simply held her closer to his chest and stroked her helm calmly. He hushed her quietly and pulled her towards the door. "Dreadwing, you have the bridge. Find Soundwave, that is our only priority."

"Yes sir..." the large Seeker turned to take command as the two if them left. The last Megatron saw of him was the guilt in his optics. Although Megatron wouldn't tell Flamewar, The second in command had been the mech Soundwave had stayed behind to save...

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**So there you go! Hope you all liked it. Have a Merry Christmas! (Or whatever winter holiday you celebrate:)**

**And Please _please-please-please-Please review! _Over one hundred reviews by Christmas would just make my day.. :)**


	25. Chapter 25

**I will admit first thing, I am not very happy with this chapter. But if I didn't post it soon I knew I was going to stop writing this story. So, sorry for the poor quality, I might come back and edit it in the future.**

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Pain... Static met every sensor in his main processor unit. He couldn't feel his limbs... His visor cracked under strain, but he couldn't hear it. He could barely feel Lazerbeak moving frantically against his chest... He couldn't move... Couldn't breath... The stressors were too much-

His vision flickered out, and when it on-lined again he saw a bright light above him. The pain was still there, but he couldn't feel his mini con anywhere nearby. His spark ached but not from a feeling of abandonment. It felt like someone had taken his core and ran a blade straight through it! He gasped in agony, and he could feel his audios slowly responding. The rush of everything around him suddenly came into a fizzled focus and he saw that he was in the medical bay.

"_Electric pulse rate unstable-_..." The doctor stood over him with several tools in hand, looking slightly panicked. "-_Steve! Hook up another container of Energon! We need to-"_

"_He's not responding!"_

"_Soundwave! Soundwave come on, scrap you! Respond!"_

His unmasked face rolled to the side and he lost total consciousness...

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"Lord Megatron-!"

The silver mech jerked slightly at the unwelcome wake up call, looking around the room in confusion until he saw Dreadwing standing frozen in his doorway. The mech had a look of urgency about him, but his expression read of complete and utter embarrassment. Megatron looked down at himself, discovering why.

Flamewar slept soundly beside him, spooned against him with his arms wrapped protectively around her. She was undisturbed by the intruder in the room, but her grease smeared face was distorted with pain. Even in sleep she could not escape the torture of knowing that her brother was in mortal danger. She had begged him not to leave her alone. And even though he had taken her in, she cried throughout the night. Even in sleep he had felt her shudders and heard her whimpers.

"Megatron, I do not mean to disrupt-" Dreadwing brought his attention back and shuffled awkwardly. "But we found him. We found Soundwave. He is currently in the med bay in critical condition..." he glanced at the femme in his master's berth. "I just thought that you should know sir."

Megatron nodded in affirmation. "You may leave." He growled, making his point very clear that he wanted to be left alone. As soon as his second disappeared he shifted and brought Flamewar closer to his chest. He could feel her spark beating, and her ventilating against him, and it made him calm. There was no other word he could use to describe the feeling. He just felt calm.

"Flamewar..." he spoke to her quietly, gripping her shoulder to wake her. "Hey, you need to wake up now." she didn't respond. He shook her firmly, but careful not to hurt her. "Come on sweetspark." he sat up, causing her to grumble at his movement. She moved against him, snuggling into his chest. He had noticed that she was a very calm sleeper even when upset. She moved around very little and stayed within the comfort of his embrace throughout most of the night. If it had been under any normal circumstance he would have admitted to enjoying it. But it wasn't a normal circumstance, and she needed to get up. "Come on, get up-" he stood up, catching her as she tumbled off the berth.

Flamewar shrieked at the sudden fall, gripping his arms as if the floor would have killed her. When she regained her senses she glared at him and smacked his servo on her arm. "Don't do that! You nearly scared me to death!"

Megatron chuckled humorously, enjoying the furious glow in her optics. She was undoubtably beautiful, and even more so he thought when she was upset. "I couldn't wake you up." he reasoned with her. "We need to go to the medical ward. They found Soundwave, and he is in critical condition." he answered her questions before she could ask them and started out into the hall.

As they walked he noticed her grow somber again. Her optics didn't dare move from the floor at his feet, letting him lead her as he would. In a way the action made his spark lighten, knowing that she trusted him enough to do that much. But she was sad, and that calmed the fluttering energies inside of him very quickly.

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**Yeah, sorry it's been a while. I've been neglecting this story to work on some things for "Rise of the Guardians", I promise I will try to update quicker next time.**

**Anyways, a special thanks to DRAGOREX for giving me my One Hundredth review! And thank you all who helped make this as popular a story as it is. Thanks for the encouragement. :)**

**As always, thank-you for reading! Leave a Review and have a great day! :)**


	26. Chapter 26

The med bay was a flurry of motion. Knockout's servos were wrist deep inside of his patient's chest and he was shouting orders to the assistants around him. Monitors were going off and lights shone brightly over the still body on the berth in front of them.

Flamewar went numb at the sight, feeling her spark stop. Soundwave's visor had been removed and she could see his normally bright optics had dimmed to almost nonexistence. His crushed chest plates had been discarded on a nearby table and his sparkchamber was open for the whole room to see. But the light of his soul, the same light that had comforted her as a child, was growing very small.

Flamewar stood still, watching the commotion from the door. She wanted with all her spark to go forward and hug her brother, to cry and hold him close, but he knew that if he was to survive she had to stay out of the way. And even then, it looked like he wasn't going to make it.

Knockout had never sounded so frustrated in all the time she had spent in the medical ward. His red optics burned with fear, fear that he might lose Megatron's most loyal soldier. He worked furiously to bring up the mech's vitals, but nothing seemed to work.

Flamewar hid in the shadows, covering her optics as they started to tear. "Soundwave no..." she sobbed quietly, shaking her helm. "No, you can't leave me. Not like this!" her soft cries were ignored for what felt like hours before she felt Megatron's servo stroke her back gently. She looked up at him desperately. She wanted him to do something, anything! Because she could do nothing... She was powerless to save her only brother.

Her leader's red optics flickered purple, making her shiver but his look was sympathetic. He wrapped his arms around her and he pulled her into his chest so she could cry freely. She could hear him talking quietly into her audios, but she couldn't understand a word of it. She just shivered against him, crying her brother's name between sobs.

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Knockout had exhausted all options. Medically, there was nothing left he could do but wait. But waiting was killing him. And the communications officer's vitals were dropping quickly. "Get me another Energon line in his chest stat!"

"Sir..." one of his Vehicon assistants looke at him like he was insane. "There is nothing left to do. He is gone and you know it."

The medic growled and struck the mech across the face, glaring. "We are not losing this mech! Not while his sister _and_ Megatron are standing right there!" he pointed to the corner where said individuals were and the Vehicon looked a little pale. "Get me that Energon now! That's an order!"

The fresh line was connected quickly and the old one was discarded carelessly on the ground across the room. Knockout continued to reroute veins in the patient's chest to his spark, trying to bring up the beat of his electric pulses.

An alarm sounded behind him and he cringed, panic welling up inside of him. Soundwave's spark was failing. Short of another emergency medical spark merge, nothing could bring him back after a certain point. And the first merge had sapped a lot of his strength.

Knockout glared at the mech, opening his chest for another merge to bring him back to a stable level. "Soundwave, come on!" he begged him to respond, crying in pain as the uncomfortable spark merge was complete. Soundwave's finger twitched once and his unmasked face lolled to the side as his spark flickered faintly.

"Damn you to Pit, Soundwave!" he looked around his medical bay desperately. "Wake up right now or so help me I will take your precious sister into my berthroom and have my way with her until her spark cracks-!"

He choked as a servo clamped around his neck, and he froze in terror. Soundwave's optics were wide open, an turned blood red. His glare was murderous and his lips were curled back in a snarl. "You...Dare!-" his servo became slack and it dropped back down to his side as he passed out.

Knockout stumbled backwards against the wall, a servo over his sparkchamber. "I think my life just passed before my optics!" he gasped, looking to his head assistant. "How is he?" the Vehicon reported that his electric pulse rate was stabilizing and he nodded in acknowledgement. "I thought that might...do the trick..." he panted, feeling his whole frame shake...

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**Yay! Soundwave's gonna be okay! It took me forever to figure out how to do this part. Finally I went with Knockout's perspective and I liked it. Hope you did too. :)**

**Leave a Review please and have an awesome day! :)**


	27. Chapter 27

Soundwave moaned in pain, gripping the berth underneath him tightly as he shifted restlessly in his sleep. Flamewar watched over him silently, her servo resting on one of his as she waited. Her optics were filled with pain, and her frame shook nervously. And Megatron watched all this from a respectable distance.

After whacking his medic over the helm for disgracing his patient's sister, he had congratulated him on his success. But although the biggest danger had passed, Knockout had warned him that Soundwave could still take a turn for the worst. So he decided to stay with the two until his C.O. regained consciousness. But every moment he watched the femme he was starting to feel that maybe he shouldn't be so distant. He was conflicted with how he should act around her versus how he acted around his crew. He shouldn't act any different. If there was even a minuscule chance that the two of them could be anything of a couple in the future he knew he should be honest to her. But what was the honest truth? Was he really a tyrant? Or was this softer side of him just a suppressed part of him that he had forgotten about?

He shook his helm, pushing himself away from the wall he was leaning on to wander slowly through the medical ward towards his new obsession. It was hard not to watch her, to look at the way her body reacted to external changes. Every time he moved or made a sound she would jump slightly in surprise, as if she was constantly drifting off into thought. But her optics never left her brother. Such devotion. He could only hope that someday she could look at him the same way...hopefully under better circumstances of course.

Before he could stop himself, Megatron found himself standing beside her. "Flamewar..." he touched her shoulder gently, and gave her a small smile when she jumped. "How are you...feeling?" he felt his mouth go dry as he said the word. He wasn't used to asking what a femme was feeling like unless he was-.

He quickly put an end to that thought, instead focusing on Flamewar. He had to keep his head around her, no exceptions. He couldn't go off into a fantasy when she was in this predicament.

She looked miserable, but she returned a sad smile. "Tired? Emotionally tested? Sparkbroken? Need I really continue?" her optics sparkled with wet Energon as she spoke, but she kept the tears down.

Megatron vented and took a seat beside her, reaching out to take her free servo in his own. Her optics locked with his as he brought her smaller servo to his lips and her smile turned a little happier. "I'm sure he'll come out of it soon, and he'll go back to being his protective big brother self in no time." her small laugh encouraged him to continue. "I'll admit, I wasn't surprised that even on death's door he found the strength to defend you. Knockout's expression was quite priceless."

Flamewar laughed louder, this time all worry dissipating for a brief moment. "It was..." she agreed, looking down at their intertwined fingers. He felt her thumb brush over his and he became a little less self conscious about the contact. She seemed to like it. "Megatron do you-" her face turned a light shade of pink when he watched her. He encouraged her to continue and she took a deep breath, letting go of her brother's servo. "Do you think you could...I mean-" she big her lip in frustration and looked down at the floor.

"Ask me Flamewar, the worst I can say is no." he reasoned with her, trying to make her more comfortable.

She laughed shortly, looking back up at him in embarrassment. "That's what you say, but there are plenty of responses worse than no..." he watched her as she continued to fidget, her servo in his was becoming hot and her face was glowing a little pink. "It's just... Can I-can I hug you?" she finally said what was on her mind and he laughed.

"Well of course you can. You've already done it before, why should now be any different?" She smiled at him thankfully and he felt his spark flutter as she wrapped her arms around his neck and tucked her helm under his chin. It was a close hug, very personal and he could feel her spark beat. She was so close to him...

"Thanks for staying with me Megatron. I really appreciate it." her lips pressed against his neck softly and he hummed in pleasure. Both their optics closed as they relaxed, and they both missed the look of absolute defeat on Soundwave's face...

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**Next chapter we will see some changing perspectives from some people. Please leave a Review. :)**


	28. Chapter 28

**Sorry for the short chapters lately. I tend to write short when I don't feel well and lately I've just been feeling miserable. So I apologize for quality and quantity of these past few chapter. Longer and better ones are on the horizon though, just bear with me :)**

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They looked so content. And she looked happier than he had ever seen her before in his master's arms. Her lips had curved into a small smile as she talked with him. And she tilted her face up to kiss him just below the jaw. Megatron smirked, but it was almost a normal smile...

Soundwave let his helm hit the berth with a mute groan. It was too late. She would never listen to him now. She was securely trapped in Megatron's arms, and she wouldn't want to escape. But perhaps it was for the best. This might be the only way he could ever let go of the responsibility of watching over his sister. Maybe it was time to pass the torch.

Soundwave let some tears escape his optics and he vented shakily. He didn't want to let go. He didn't want to have to leave her life in the hands of another mech. He wanted to protect her forever... Could he ever let go and let Megatron step in to take his place? Would his master meet expectations if he did step up to be Flamewar's protector? Would he hurt her? Or be the mech she needed him to be?

He closed his optics with a silent sob. He was scared. Scared that Megatron would be good for her. Scared that if he let her go...she might forget about him. She was all he ever had. Without her, he had nothing. Nothing to live for. Nothing to protect and care for. He would be alone...

"Soundwave?" Flamewar stood up quickly, a look of joy in her optics. "Soundwave, you're okay!" she cried out in excitement. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders tightly and she pressed her face against his chest. "You're okay..." her body trembled in relief, and she hugged him tighter. "I thought you were going to leave me."

"Flamewar..." he whispered quietly into her audios, holding her close to him. "I won't leave you...just promise you won't leave me."

"I'd never leave you." she cried, her tears of happiness spilling into his chest. "You know I never would."

Soundwave stroked her helm lightly with a servo, eying his master over her shoulder. Megatron took a hint and averted his gaze respectfully. "Then... you have my-my-" he bit his lip uncomfortably, trying to force the words out. "I won't try to stop you from persueing a relationship with Megatron. If that is what you really want..."

Both her's and Megatron's optics locked with his. But she was the first to recover from his words. "Soundwave, oh thank-you! Thank-you so much!" she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, holding him tightly. "You won't regret it, I promise." her smile was so big, but even that sight couldn't help the sinking feeling in his spark.

He glared at Megatron harder. "I better not regret it. Because if he ever gives me reason to there'll be hell to pay."

Megatron nodded curtly. "You have nothing to fear from me, my friend." he assured him. "She is safe with me. And if I ever break this promise, I'll accept whatever wrath you have in store."

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**Please Leave a Review! :)**


	29. Chapter 29

**Wow, long chapter ahead :)**

**So, this chapter takes place a few weeks after Soundwave is released from the medical ward. Just a little fluffy scene that has been bugging me for a while now. Hope you enjoy Megatron's and Flamewar's first official 'date night'. :)**

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Megatron raised an optic ridge in uncertainty at the images he was watching. He had let Flamewar and her brother be alone for a while, distancing himself to give them some space. But after a few weeks he was certain it was enough time after the incident to ask her 'out' as humans put it. Soundwave had been leery and suspicious of him, uncertain of his trustworthiness in spite of his promise. But he had eventually convinced him to let them be alone...under Lazerbeak's supervision.

He rolled his optics and refocused on the images playing across the screen. He had decided that under the circumstances it would be best to just have a relaxing evening doing whatever Flamewar wanted to do. And she had been happy with the idea so they went with it. Honestly now he was regretting his choice greatly. She had decided to show him some sort of Earth human chick-flick, and he had to grin and bear it...

It was like torture. He swore to himself that during this supposed date he had discovered a new form of interrogation! He was stuck watching some sappy femme movie, listening to her crying, with Soundwave's pet bird sitting between them so he couldn't even reach out to comfort her. This was just horrible. If he survived this he was never going to do it again!

"It's just so-" Flamewar sobbed to his right and he turned to look at her. Tears were streaming down her face and she looked Sparkbroken. "I can't believe that-" she buried her face in her servos, barely containing her sobs. Megatron looked back at the screen and his shoulders sagged in defeat. Of course, someone would die with blood everywhere and he'd miss it. Go figure.

"N-no! He can't die, not with her-" she hiccuped, "-she's not really dead! Romeo you idiot!" she continued to cry, making him shift uncomfortably. His optics darted from her to Lazerbeak, unsure of what he should do. And every passing moment was making him feel more and more anxious.

"Fla-" he coughed, clearing his throat. "Flamewar?" she took a deep breath and looked up at him through her fingers questioningly. "Why don't you, ah-" he eyed the mini con next to him warily. "Come sit by me?" he suggested, his voice going a little flat when Lazerbeak hissed at him.

Flamewar smiled, ignoring her brother's extra set of optics and audios. She gently pushed the mini con onto the floor and scooted closer to him, snuggling into his side with her legs curled up on the couch. He shifted around a little so she could rest against him with his arm wrapped around her side. Soon she was watching her show again, her fingers wandering over his chest armor and tears streaking down her cheeks. From his new perch across the room, Lazerbeak glared at them crossly. Megatron just stared back, sticking the tip of his glossa out at the bird causing it to shift angrily. He smirked and held Flamewar more attentively.

He looked down at her with a small smile, feeling her servo itch at the edges of his armor and his insignia. He noted that the glow of his insignia was increasing and he growled quietly. He needed to take another ration of plain Energon to even that out soon.

"No!" she shivered against him and pressed her face against his chest as she sobbed again. "No Juliet, no..." her Energon spilled against him and he could feel it streak down his frame in small rivers. He looked up at the movie again and just rolled his optics. Of course, he missed the actual death of Juliet. He vented, shaking his head. This night was going horridly.

"You know..." he murmured, caressing her arm softly with his thumb. "If I were Romano-"

"Romeo." she corrected, wiping her optics dry.

"Fine, Romeo-" he couldn't help but smile as she laughed quietly. "As I was saying. If I was him, I wouldn't have killed myself if you were dead-" he paused as she stiffened and he realized just how awful that sounded. "-I would have hunt down any clue to where you were, and if you were dead I would hunt down the bastard who killed you. Because I know you wouldn't kill yourself." he brought his servo up to touch her face and she looked up at him. Her optics were filled with some kind of adoration.

"What?"

"You-you just compared me to Juliet..." although her optics were still filled with tears, her look was happy. "Romeo loved Juliet you know."

Megatron looked away a little awkwardly. "I don't believe what I said implied that. And since I didn't really understand anything that happened in that movie I can't very well know for sure if he did...like her, like you say."

Flamewar bit her lip, looking at him critically. "Well, even if that is the case, I think you just said that you liked me." she smirked at him.

"Ah..." his mouth hung open a little. "I might have implied that. Maybe just a little..." he chanced running his fingers up her back. "I've always found you attractive if that's what you mean."

She rolled her optics at him. "Well no, but I suppose that'll do for now." her servos came to rest on his shoulders as she turned to straddle his lap. His optics grew a little in size at the position and he stated at her like she was insane. She giggled at his reaction and leaned forward until their faces were just a little apart. "Oh come on, you didn't think I'd make you sit through that sappy love stuff for nothing did you? I knew you'd hate it." her arms wrapped around his neck and her smile became more playful. "That was a test and you passed." she smiled against his lips and kissed him lightly before whispering to him. "I will never make you watch something like that ever again."

"Mm, good." he shut his optics tightly and pulled her closer to him, crashing his lips with hers. "So is this a test too?" he clamped his servo around her hip and the other just behind her neck to keep her close.

"No, this is your-mm!-"

Megatron lay back against the armrest more comfortably. "Oh I don't care what this is-I like it." he hugged her tightly, moving her on top of him more comfortably. His spark throbbed, beating faster then it had in a long time. He could feel the Energon pumping through his veins... And it felt great. He felt strong. Powerful. Invincible...

Flamewar jumped, stumbling away from him with a terrified scream! Her optics went wide with fear and she continued to back farther away from him.

"Flamewar what-what's wrong?" He stood up, following her slowly.

"Your-your optics... They're not red." she stuttered, her servos searching the wall behind her for the door.

Megatron stopped. His spark froze, yet it was beating faster than ever. "No, oh no." he glanced down at his insignia. It was pulsing pure violet. "Oh no." he held the back of his servo to his optics, seeing a purple glow cover it. "Oh Flamewar I'm sorry." he covered his face, shutting out the accursed color from her view. "I swear upon the Allspark, this isn't what it looks like. This wasn't supposed to happen..."

"What's wrong with you?"

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**Please leave a Review, the MegWar relationship hangs in the balance. ;)**


	30. Chapter 30

**Thank you all so much for the Reviews and Support! Just thought I'd say that, I haven't said it in a while :) now on to the chapter :)**

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"The purple glow isn't precisely a sign of arousal Flamewar, (not completely anyway) but just who Megatron has become so he can live and breathe like the rest of us." Knockout explained to her, placing a raw cube of regular Energon in his master's servo. "He needs dark Energon to survive. Without it he would just lay in a comatose state for who know how long before he finally off-lined. The regular Energon counteracts the affects on his optics for some time, but it starts to wear off eventually." he shrugged. "It is also a direct connection between him and Unicron the destroyer."

Megatron nodded to himself, keeping his servo over his optics to block out the accursed violet color that had scared Flamewar so badly. He knew that he was running low on regular Energon. The elevated rate of his spark pulse must have triggered the remaining pure Energon to burn faster until it was practically gone. But still, he should have had enough Energon to last another two days without it breaking out into an episode. Which left only one conclusion.

"So, why exactly did it happen?"

He vented slowly, bringing the cube of liquid Energon to his lips to drink it down. Figures that the moment he actually got her to trust him something like this would happen. It was just downright unfair. With a defeated sigh, he dropped his servo to look at Flamewar. She didn't look afraid, more curious than anything else. "Unicron, in his awakening state was able to temporarily control me. Even in sleep he is able to push through our connection. Knockout can explain it better than I can..." he trailed off, waving for the medic to continue the thought.

As Knockout completed the explanation of how during lighter times of stasis Unicron could still connect with him, Megatron noticed that the femme wasn't really paying attention. Her optics were locked solely on him, a look of concern even given to him. She stood up and slowly crossed the room towards him, taking a seat on the berth, next to him. Her servo reached up slowly, tentatively touching his cheek, looking at the fluctuating purple in his optics.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't need your pity!" he snapped, turning away from her. He could feel his Energon boil and glared down at the floor. "And I don't need you making me look weak in front of my crew! It's bad enough your brother beat me to a pulp, I don't need rumors floating around that I can't stand my ground against a femme! So just take your pity somewhere-"

::Megatron!::

He growled, turning to face his communications officer. "What?!" Soundwave had just entered the room, but his look wasn't angry. He had quickly taken Flamewar away from him, his posture stern but not angry.

::You are in control of yourself. Don't let _him_ rule you.::

Taking a few shallow vents, Megatron nodded, forcing himself to calm down. These episodes had very adverse effects on him. "I didn't mean any of that Flamewar. Forgive me. I'm afraid I am more of a monster than you had ever expected me to be." he gripped the side of the berth, crushing it with his sharp fingers in his attempt to keep down his brewing anger.

The soft touch of her servos on his shoulder made him shiver. "You're not a monster. An even if you were-" she turned his face up to look at her, "-I wouldn't care."

Megatron smirked sadly, shaking his helm. "You are a fool..."

She smiled, barely containing a giggle. "Maybe, but I'm a happy fool." she leaned forward until their lips brushed against each other, hesitating only a moment before kissing him. "And besides," she pulled away before he could stop her, and he rolled his optics helplessly at her quickness. "As far as first dates go, that didn't go half as bad as I thought it would."

Megatron ignored the irritated stance of his third in command and raised an optic ridge at Flamewar. "Are you serious? That was the most disastrous thing I have ever done! I will have to make it up to you the next chance I get."

She shrugged, "Well, if that's how you feel about it..." she wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a tight hug, making his spark skip a beat. "I'll see you later I guess. Soundwave needs to talk to you." she paused as he wrapped his arm around her in return and she laughed quietly. "And I'm sorry I freaked out."

"It's fine. It was a natural reaction for you to have." he assured her, internally swearing that he would never let that happen around her ever again.

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Soundwave waited impatiently until his sister left the room before walking forward to greet his master with a firm smack across the face. "That's for yelling at my sister." he whispered just loud enough for him to hear. He resisted the urge to strangle him and just continued with his business. ::Autobots have been detected in the mines in the Canadian quadrant, section two. Optimus Prime is with them, along with the crash landed Autobot we detected some time ago. Suggestion: Termination.::

Megatron's surprise at being hit was soon replaced with a smirk. "Section two? Perhaps I should pay that operation a visit personally. After all, I have all this adrenaline coursing through me. I might as well use it while I have it." he cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders to loosen them. "Have a combat party ready Soundwave. I think we are overdue for a meeting with the Autobots."

Soundwave nodded curtly and sent out the orders.

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**So yeah, next chapter we have an old friend returning. Those of you who have read "Lonely" know who it is, and those that haven't will have to wait and/or guess :)**

**Leave a Review, and goodnight! :)**


	31. Chapter 31

Megatron surveyed the battleground before him with much zeal. His optics traveled around the cavern, noting every location there were Autobots hiding behind the rocks. Indeed, Optinus was with them, as well as the new Autobot he presumed. He watched her more carefully than the others, calculating what her strengths and weaknesses were. In her servos was a long sniper rifle, which almost certainly meant that she had no means to transform and therefore no other weapons.

He smirked to himself, moving into the battlezone. The Autobots were making it just too easy to pick her off. She was headed to the main control station, alone. He chuckled darkly, deciding to have a little fun. "Optimus... I see you've found a new member to add to your little fold." he laughed, sending the Prime a knowing glance. For a moment their optics met and the Autobot commander looked just a little panicked. "Well, allow me to welcome her." He moved forward, blocking her path and unveiling his ion cannon. She stumbled back a few paces quickly, her optics widening in fear.

The femme quickly fired at him, using her rifle like one would use a pistol at close range. The shot grazed his shoulder harmlessly and he advanced upon her. At a closer distance she discarded her weapon as useless and slung it onto a clip on her back, raising her servos as fists. He laughed at the sight, transforming his cannon back into his servo, and they engaged each other in hand to hand combat.

Surprisingly, the two fought practically unnoticed. He noted Optimus's unease, but the Prime was too swarmed with Vehicon troopers to do anything for his newest soldier. And the others simply didn't see them as they edged farther and farther away from the battle.

"You have been abandoned, femme. You should surrender while I still find you amusing." he smirked, swiftly grabbing a hold on her arm tightly.

She struggled, pulling away so hard she almost fell down. Her optics were frantic. [Help!] she screamed, pulling away even harder.

"Well, well, well..." he stroked her face with the back of his servo, laughing darkly. "Aren't you a pretty one? I'd hate to waste a femme such as yourself..." he looked her up and down, enjoying every notion of fear in her body.

"Megatron!" the familiar voice of his former second in command rang in his audios. One second he turned in surprise, and the next he was being tackled to the ground! Starscream dug his fingers into the larger mechs servo, forcing him to release his grip on the femme's wrist. She scrambled away from them as he screamed in pain. His tainted Energon dripped from his servo and smeared onto both their armor as he tried to push the Seeker away.

Starscream grabbed at his chest armor and stabbed his long fingers down a weak spot quickly, causing him to shout in pain. With a cry of rage, the leader of the Decepticons slammed the smaller mech to the ground beside him with a swing of his arm. He heard his former SIC hit the ground with a painful gasp.

Getting up again, he laughed. "What do we have here?" he snarled. "Finally crawled to join the Autobot ranks, did you Starscream?" kicking the Seeker, he sent him sprawled against the floor a little farther away. The Seeker tried desperately to get up, bracing himself against the wall with one hand. He got up to one knee, only to be knocked down again. But to his surprise, the mech got up to his knees again, this time faster. Megatron grabbed him by the throat, lifting him into the air. His feet dangled in empty space and he grasped the servo clamped down on him, trying pathetically to stop the crushing of his neck. He tried to kick the Decepticon leader but he simply blocked it with one hand and pinned him up against the wall.

"You've grown a backbone Starscream... The pathetic Seeker I knew wouldn't have put up much of a fight. What changed you?" he smirked, waiting for him to quiver in fear and beg for mercy. But he didn't seem to be about to do either.

Starscream gasped, scratching Megatron's arm in an attempt to free his neck to breathe. "I-I-" he stuttered, trying to get enough air to speak.

Megatron's smirk widened and he loosened his grip only slightly. "What was that? I can't hear you.".

The Seeker dug his fingers between his neck and his master's servo. "I found a reason to live!" he rasped.

That made Megatron scoff. "Let me guess, the little femme that left you here to die?" he watched Starscream's optics flicker and spark. He looked just about ready to faint from the lack of Energon flow to his processor.

He nodded, "Except for one thing Megatron." he gasped, clenching his optics shut in pain as the warlord's grip tightened.

"And what's that?"

[I didn't leave!] He heard the femme just before he felt her gun ram into the side of his helm, knocking him unbalanced. He dropped the Seeker and stumbled a safe distance away from the two of them. [And if you haven't noticed, you've lost Megatron.] She glared at him, her optics sparking with anger.

With an annoyed growl, he looked around the cave. Sure enough, his troops were being completely demolished. "Retreat!" he shouted, feeling his embarrassment to have lost a battle so easily turn quickly to anger. After sending a ground-bridge order, he turned back to the silver mech and the femme, glaring at them both venomously. "You haven't seen the last of me Starscream, I'll find you and I'll rip both your sparks out..." he smirked, entering the Decepticon ground-bridge.

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"I blew it! I am going weak _and_ soft!" Megatron flipped his desk over, spilling his work all over the floor. He fumed, kicking a stray data pad across the room and watching as it smashed into a million pieces against the far wall. "Something is wrong with me!" he growled, gripping his helm with both servos tightly, scraping deep indents across the silver metal.

"Why is this happening to me?!" he glared at his reflection in the mirror on his wall, inspecting the purple creeping back into his optics. He could almost see the fear in Flamewar's optics all over again when he saw the dark Energon seeping it's way back into his vision. He felt horrible for scaring her like that. "Flamewar..." his optics widened slightly at his new revelation. "This all started because of her. If I never met her I wouldn't have gotten distracted and neglected my personal training, and I would not have been beaten by a femme." he growled, heading for the door out of his personal quarters.

"That does it!" he had been trying to make things work out but this incident had crossed the line. He had been beaten by a femme! A femme and his weak former second in command. If he didn't do something now it could ruin his image as the leader of the Decepticons. He had to end this. He had to end this relationship with Flamewar before things got out of hand.

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**Wow... Ugh... This took forever for me to do, I am so sorry...**

**Leave a Review, I will hopefully get the next chapter up soon. I have part of it written already.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Of course, I'm going to make you wait to see what happens to Megatron and Flamewar! ;) In this chapter I decided to take one of the suggestions someone gave and turn it into a chapter. Hope you like it! :)**

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"Seriously Soundwave, you are over processing this." Dreadwing looked across the table at him, a cube of higher energized Energon in his hand. "I understand your concern, but there comes a certain point that you have to just let things be the way they will when it comes to femmes."

Soundwave gave the mech a cold glare from behind his visor. ::Flamewar is my only living relative. I will see it my duty to protect her in any way I see fit to.:: he snatched up the second cube that the new Second in Command had provided for him. ::You would not understand.::

"Perhaps not, but you should trust Megatron. He is good to his word, and he is our master. And he is your friend. I am not close to him personally, but I see him look at you sort of like a brother." Dreadwing looked at him sternly. "If you cause our master any more trouble with this matter I will personally make sure you regret it."

Soundwave almost scoffed. Of all the people to make threats, he feared Dreadwing the least. He had seen the abilities of his late spark brother, and he was certain his own skills were lacking, just as Skyquake's were. But he did heed the warning slightly. If the mech was to tell Megatron that he had personally sabotaged his supply of Energon to make such an episode befall him quicker... Well... He didn't want to take that chance.

"Soundwave as a fellow officer, and I'll even go so far as to say friend, you need to let this one go. Get a life that doesn't revolve around Flamewar." Dreadwing gripped his shoulder and shook him gently as he stood up to leave. Before he could get away however, Soundwave snatched his arm.

::What would you suggest I do?:: he demanded, standing up to become level with his adversary. ::Would you want me to let my sister be made a whore of by the 'great and mighty' Lord Megatron?!:: he fumed. "Is that what you would have me do?!"

Dreadwing turned back to him, his expression cool and composed. "No, of course not. I would suggest that you go find a nice femme, sweep her off her feet and give her the night of her life." he jerked his arm free of Soundwave's grip and shrugged his shoulders to loosen them. "I hear that Nightracer chick is sexy and available..." he finished, turning his back on the thoroughly stunned C.O.

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Soundwave wandered down the corridor slowly, not sure of he should be angry at everyone or just stew silently like he always did. Going on a rampage was starting to look really nice after such a horrid day. But he controlled himself. He just kept telling himself that things were going to get better. If he was lucky maybe after a while Flamewar would get over her crush and move on to a better mech.

He could hope for the best. But it was becoming more and more evident that this was the will of Primus. And it was becoming very accepted around the crew. Already he was hearing whispers of the "Megawar" fans. All the Decepticons seemed to be excited about the relationship. Everyone but him...

Something was going to go wrong. Some time, maybe not right away, but sometime soon Megatron was going to screw up, and when he did... Soundwave almost smirked. He would make sure Megatron knew the meaning of the word Unick. And if he didn't treat Flamewar with the proper amount of respect that she deserved after that, well... His master's screams would be heard.

Soundwave paused in his strides as he passed by the lower engine rooms. He raised an optic ridge at the sight of his sister and Nightracer working together. However in the mean time, maybe he would take Dreadwing's advice. Nightracer was very attractive, and she wouldn't stay single forever...

The femme in question looked up from her work and gave him a smile. She waved at him, and he ran like there was no tomorrow.

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**Yeah... Whatever.. ;p**

**Big Megatron/Flamewar confrontation in the next chapter! We'll see what happens. :)**

**Leave a Review! :)**


	33. Chapter 33

**Okay, here it is! Not exactly confrontation but it does solve some issues. :) enjoy!**

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"So, what do you think of Megatron?"

He paused in his strides at the mention of his name and looked back into the room he had just past. There he found the femme that he had been looking for, along with his former concubine Nightracer. The latter was the one who posed the question, and he was honestly curious of Flamewar's answer. On the way down to the engine room he had started thinking over what he was about to do and he realized that maybe breaking up their relationship wasn't the brightest idea. Not only would Soundwave be pissed, but he found that there were other options to solve his problems. And he liked Flamewar, a lot more than any other femme he had ever met. He didn't want to lose something like that if he didn't have to. So, he leaned against the door frame quietly and listened in on the two femmes' conversation.

"What do I think of him?" Flamewar nearly laughed. "Well, he isn't like any mech I've ever met before."

"Like how?" Nightracer inquired, obviously not going to let the question slide.

"Well..." she big her bottom lip, tapping her foot on the ground as she worked on one piece of machinery. "He's kind of disgusting." that made his optics widen. "I mean, most mechs would try to make themselves look good to you, but Megatron doesn't sensor anything about himself. He has been with a lot of women, and frankly: it's gross. And he talks about it like you're discussing the weather, like he doesn't even care."

Nightracer laughed, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, he does do that, doesn't he?"

Flamewar rolled her optics. "Yeah, it's just disturbing. It just makes me wonder how he does it. And it makes me doubt myself around him. I mean, what if I'm just a scraplet that he's leading into a trap? I have no idea what tricks he has with him. Soundwave has done his best to warn me so many times, but I can't help feeling... enchanted around him. And I can't help but think that it could all just be a ruse he makes to get me to fall for him."

Megatron took in this information with a slight sinking feeling in his Energon tanks. What else did she think about him that he didn't know? What other horrible things did she suspect that he would do to her?

"But the thing is-" she continued, stopping in her work all together. "-it's not the staring, or the suggestive remarks, or his past history with femmes that scares me." she took a deep breath, a look of almost pain in her optics. "It's the fear." her voice dropped so low he had to strain to hear what she said next. "It's the fear that he'll hurt me. That one day he'll get bored of me and not want to be with me at all." she vented, her words sounding strained. "I'm just afraid that I've fallen for him so hard that if he hurts me... I won't know what to do. I don't know if I would want to continue living."

Megatron stepped backwards back out into the hallway, slipping back into the shadows so he wouldn't be seen. He felt his spark clench and he became confused. He didn't know what to think about what he had heard. She had sounded so sincere. He knew that she liked him, but he didn't know the extent of it. She sounded like if he did say or do something to break her spark she really would want to stop living.

He vented quietly, now completely certain that he couldn't call things off with her. It wouldn't be right to have gone so far, to have almost even lead her on, only to dump her so harshly. He had to give it more time. With time, maybe he could get used to things being different. He would have to make some adjustments, but he would make it work. He had to.

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Flamewar quickly wiped away the tears at her optics, laughing at her sudden outburst of emotion. "I'm sorry... I've just been thinking a lot about this whole situation lately. I mean, things are going so fast as it is. I'm just scared I'm going to make a mistake." she felt Nightracer pat her comfortingly on the shoulder before returning to her work. "So, change of subject." she tried to get her mind off of Megatron, and instead focused her energy on broken hinges in front of her.

"New subject? Okay..." Nightracer trailed off in thought for a moment before answering again. "Does Soundwave like me?"

Flamewar gave a quick start at that. "What?"

Her friend nodded in complete assurance. "I'm serious, does he like me? I see him around a lot, but every time I think he's going to talk to me he just run's off in the opposite direction..." she almost sounded pouty.

Honestly, Flamewar knew the answer to that question was a definite yes. It was as obvious as Lazerbeak on his chest. Soundwave was crazy for her. But she wasn't sure if she should say anything or not. "You know? I don't think he'd want me to tell you if he did. He's probably waiting for the right time. I mean, you were Megatron's-uh-escort for a long time. He probably doesn't want to make a move so quick that you'll think he just wants to use you." she tried to give him an excuse that made him look good, but she could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't satisfied.

"Are you sure? 'Cuz there's a rumor floating around that he suffers from pathological shyness."

Flamewar sighed, standing up to stretch her back. She had hoped to avoid this, but she was being pretty persistent. "Well, he is shy around femmes, but it's not pathological shyness. You see, a long time ago he fell for a femme and she totally rejected him. He's just afraid that it'll happen again if he's not careful... That might also contribute to why he is so protective of me... Man, our lives are messed up." she shook her helm, picking up her tool box. She was ready to call it a day.

"Aww, poor guy.." Nightracer sighed. "Well, if he does like me and if you ever get the chance, tell him to ask me out. He seems like a nice mech. And if he is any bit as protective over a potential mate as he is over you..." she trailed off with a small smile. "Man, if every mech was like your brother there would be no single mechs out there."

Flamewar nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but there probably wouldn't be any sparklings either. Because no mech would be good enough for anyone's daughter or sister."

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**Leave a Review! Next chapter will be out soon! :)**


	34. Chapter 34

**Okay, I'm just going to say I was a little naughty with this chapter. ;) all is clean but it's the idea that is just dirty. ;)**

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Megatron waited patiently at the door to the elevator with his arms crossed as he waited for Flamewar to finish her shift. His optic ridges were furrowed in deep thought, his apparent scowl frightening a few passers by. He was currently contemplating a way to keep both his battle skills and his relationship with Flamewar intact. The only idea that came to mind was a good one, but he wasn't sure if she or her brother would like it very much. It involved a lot of personal one on one between himself and Flamewar, and he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable now that he knew that she was nervous to be around him at best.

He glanced up at a few mechs as they passed by, glaring at them until they left. He had been down in the lower decks only a little while and he had already her the whispered rumors of his underlings. When they saw him he could hear their hushed voices as they told each other why they thought he was there. Apparently a large amount of his crew approved of his relationship with Flamewar. But it only served to annoy him that he couldn't have any privacy with his own business. If he did something, everyone knew about it.

"Megatron?" he glanced up when he heard her voice, a small smile on his scarred lips. "Wha-what are you doing down here?" she looked around the hall nervously, and he could see her servos start to shake. He vented slowly. Apparently news had already reached her of his recent failures and she thought he was going to take it out on her, like he had originally been going to. It was no wonder why she was scared of him.

He tried to look more reassuring, reaching out to take her servo in his own to stop its shaking. "I wanted to speak with you about something. If you don't have somewhere else to be of course." he bit his tongue, not used to talking to a femme as an equal. He wasn't used to talking to anyone as an equal for that matter. He had been in charge for so long he almost forgot what it was like to just be a regular mech.

"N-no, I'm not busy." her servo was still shivering in his and he squeezed it gently.

"Don't be afraid Flamewar. Everything is fine." he caressed her cheek lightly and she closed her optics at his touch. "I just want to talk to you about-good gracious woman, you're shaking like you were just threatened to be pushed into a swarm of scraplets!" he was now generally concerned about her. He knew she was nervous to be around him, but this was ridiculous. He quickly pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her tightly as she trembled. He could hear her breaths catch in her throat and feel a slight wetness fall onto his chest. He hushed her quietly and pressed his lips to the top of her helm gently. "Shh.. Flamewar, it's okay..." he tried to sound assuring but it felt empty even to him.

Her soft cries quieted and she let her forehead rest against his chest. "I'm sorry, I've just been worrying so much about everything and I'm just scared that-"

He hushed her again, and pulled her into the privacy of the elevator. "I know, I heard." he punched in the floor of the medical ward and weapons depot and soon he felt the lift lurch.

"You did?"

He nodded regretfully. "I did. And I am very sorry you feel that I am frighteningly disgusting." he felt her shift and pull away from him.

"No, that's not what I meant-"

"That is what you meant." he cut her off quickly, looking at her sternly. "Don't lie to me Flamewar, I can see right past it." he vented quietly as her gaze was cast to the floor, and he brought his servo up to brush against her lower back. He smirked when she twitched, obviously that was a sensitive area for her. He repeated the gesture again, this time pressing his thumb into the mesh of cables that were not covered by her armor. His spark gave a slight flutter when she moaned softly in response, but the moment passed quickly as she dodged away from him. "Flamewar, look at me." he brought up her chin so they were optic to optic. Hers were filled with a sudden uncertainty. "I thought we were past this. All this fear... I have told you that I will never harm you. So why do you continue do doubt me?"

She vented shakily, her optics closing as she let her cheek press into his servo. "Megatron, it's just hard. It's easy for me to forgive, but it's hard to forget everything that you have done in the past. Every day I learn something new about you." her frame continued to shake as she spoke, obviously she was not calming down at all. "And every time I hear more of what you've done I'm scared that I'm making the wrong decisions. I'm just afraid that at the end of everything, Soundwave will be right..."

That stung. He was alright with some doubts in him, but her complete lack of faith in his word was just hurtful. "Flamewar, have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?" she shook her helm silently. "Then trust me until I give you a reason not to. I will never hurt you, but I need you to believe in me." he cupped her face between his servos and kissed her briefly on the lips. "I demand fear from many underneath my rule, Flamewar. You are not one of them."

The elevator door opened when they reached their level, but he quickly shut it again and locked the lift in place so they could finish their conversation without disruption. "For just a moment can you stop fearing me, look me in the optics, and tell me that you trust me?" he waited for what seemed like hours before her answer came.

"I trust you."

With a sigh of relief, he took her servos in his own and kissed them both. It made her smile, and that in turn made him grin. "Then come with me. I have something to discuss with you."

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"You want me to what?" Flamewar looked across the table at him as if he was insane. "I'm a mechanic, I can't fight you. I'm not even armed!" with every word she spoke her voice rose higher and higher with increased dread. She didn't know how to fight a master gladiator, she'd never fought in her life!

"That's why we're here. I am going to teach you how to fight." he looked around the wall filled with suitable weapons to arm her with. "As soon as I can find a weapon to fit your body build Knockout can instal it and you can try it out." he explained, but she still wasn't happy with the course of their visit to the armory.

"But why do I have to fight you? I can't fight you." she said again, hoping to convince him that she really couldn't.

"I have been facing a predicament lately Flamewar, and this is how I have come to solve it."

"-By beating the scrap out of me? I don't think so!" she heard him vent in frustration and she took a deep breath. Maybe she was overreacting a little bit.

Megatron set down the blade model he had been looking at and crossed the room over to her. In one swift motion he swept her off her feet and trapped her between him and the wall with her legs wrapped around his waist. She squeaked in terror, but was silenced when he kissed her dominantly. His servos grasped at her hips, pulling her closer against him and enticing quiet moans out of her throat. She was hesitant to enjoy the contact, and when she began pleading for more he ripped away, leaving her feeling like jello around his tight armored hips. He smirked down at her, his red optics gleaming with a hint of male pride...

Flamewar shook her helm, feeling her body tremble in ways she had never felt before. When she looked back up she saw that Megatron was still on the other side of the room, looking over the weapons on the wall. With a sick feeling in her tanks she realized that she had just fantasized about him and her possibly about to _do it_ against a wall. She groaned quietly and hid her optics in shame, hoping that he hadn't caught on to what she was thinking about. It wasn't a mystery to her how he got so many femmes to fall for him. He was a ripped, fearsome warrior, wrapped up in a sexy frame with a voice to die for.

She shook her helm again, ridding herself of the thoughts running through her processor. How had she gone from being completely terrified of him to fantasizing over him so quickly? It was downright wrong! But she couldn't help it. When she looked back up at him again he was watching her with concern, and she felt her legs go weak. How was she going to fight him when just moving his hips could bring her to her knees?

"Are you alright?" he asked, his optics watching her every move.

"Yes, I'm fine." she lied, trying to look anywhere but at him. She was anything but fine, but she wasn't about to tell him that and tempt fate.

He shrugged, turning his back on her to take another blaster down from the wall of options. "Well, as I was saying. I have found a rather annoying hitch in this whole relationship. At first I was considering just ending it, but then I came up with a solution." her optics widened at his confession. He had been going to break up with her? "Since I have met you I have been neglecting my personal training so that I can spend time with you. After the recent events of my last battle I have realized that I cannot ignore my training any longer, but I do not want to sacrifice time I could spend with you either. So, I wanted to try training with you. It would help me to teach some basic techniques to you, and it would help our relationship to spend more time together." he paused, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Of course, if you don't want to do this you don't have to. It is still your choice. But I would suggest at least giving it a try once before you make a decision."

She looked at him with a mixture of admiration and confusion. How could he say that he had been about to break up with her so lightly? Perhaps it was just his way to get it over with quickly so he could move on. Or maybe he didn't really care...

She shook herself again, trying to look on the positive side of things. "Okay, I guess I could give it a try." she said enthusiastically, but deep down she was terrified.

"Excellent. I will call Knockout to be ready for an installation. Take a look at these few things and see which ones you like. I will be back shortly." He nodded in farewell, and she couldn't help but ogle his aft as he left.

She sighed helplessly to herself, trying to regain control of her air intakes.

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**Blah, sorry about that. I just had to get it out of my system. :p**

**Leave a Review!**


	35. Chapter 35

**...nothing really to say about this chapter... Hope you like it? :)**

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"Soundwave I promise there is nothing to worry about. She is perfectly safe with me. As long as she doesn't do anything extreme and follows my instructions she will be fine." Megatron said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, but he was not convinced. Crossing his arms defiantly, Soundwave looked across the room at his sister as she admired her knew blades. Wisely enough, she had opted out on the surgical implants and went for some old fashion servo held swords. And although she had no idea how to use them yet, they seemed made for her. The length was perfect, the size not awkward, and even the colors matched the highlights of her armor. All in all, she looked pretty fierce. A word that he would never have used to describe his sister before.

He turned back to face the mech, his optics glaring at him through his mask. ::I will be watching you, intently.:: he replayed his master's voice, a recording he had taken from a time when Starscream had done something to really piss him off. Megatron seemed to get the message. As he turned away Soundwave kept his glare sharp upon him. If he even scratched her he would be sorry.

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Megatron felt a chill go down his spine as he turned away from the silent mech, approaching Flamewar with a pleased smirk. He was glad that she had accepted his solution, but he could tell that she was nervous. Her optics darted around the room, as if she were self conscious about the crowd that was gathering. He was once again amazed how quickly information traveled in his warship. Apparently, every mech who didn't have a place to be was slipping in to catch a glimpse of him training with his femme. He already heard whispers among them, some making wagers and snide comments about Flamewar's inability to fight.

Megatron vented slowly. How had he ever fallen for such a weak femme?

Flamewar looked at one of her new blades in admiration, twisting it in her servos experimentally. She jumped in surprise with a slight yelp as she dropped it. She stepped backwards quickly to avoid getting cut before the match even began. Her face heated up and he saw her bite her lip in embarrassment as some of the surrounding mechs laughed at her. She bent down to pick up the weapon again, keeping her helm lowered as she coped with her clumsiness.

Megatron glared around the room at the mechs until they all saw his anger and shut up. He reached out and put a servo on the femme's shoulder, giving her a firm shake. "It happens to the best of us Flamewar." he said simply, and she gave him a humiliated smile. "Don't worry about it." reaching behind him to grab his favorite set of servo held blades that were attached to his back, his smirk re-appeared on his face. "For now, let us stick with the basics, shall we? I will teach you the forms and you will execute them until I say you are ready to actually cross blades with me."

Flamewar laughed nervously. "Yeah, that would probably be smart." her optics turned somewhat devious. "But when I am finished learning you're going _down_."

Megatron chuckled, "I highly doubt it."

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"By everything holy! Megatron I've been doing this for hours! How much longer do I have to do these stupid forms? They're too hard for me!" the femme whined in frustration, but he simply waved for her to continue from his place some distance away from her. Honestly he was finding this horribly amusing. Her practically bending over backwards to prove that she could perfect what he had taught her was quite a sight. Her annoyance only fueled his enjoyment. She thought she would best him? She had no idea what she was even doing! But, every time he heard a mech snicker he glared at them until the shrunk back in submission. Only he could make fun of her desperate attempts to keep a firm grip on her new weapons.

"Do you think you are ready for something else?" he inquired, lowering his blades to pause his own training, earning a cold glare.

"I'm about this close to going over there and kicking your _smug aft!_" she snapped, pulling some shocked noises out of the crowd.

Megatron raised an optic ridge at her, then narrowed his optics. He was okay with her making snide remarks to him when they were alone, but he wouldn't stand for disrespect in front of his crew. "Well then," he tried not to growl, but he kept the edge in his tone. "why don't you just give it a try?" from across the room he could see Soundwave tense but he didn't care. He had something to prove to her and his crew. He was dominant in this relationship. Although he would respect her, he was on top of things. He wouldn't submit to a femme... Without logical cause to...

Flamewar let her arms droop, the tips of her blades almost touching the floor. She shook her helm, giving him the dirtiest glare she had ever given him. She was pissed. "You bastard. All you've done is show me something and then let me be totally humiliated in front of these mechs." she seethed, her optics almost burning. "They are laughing at me! I work with half of these mechs, and you just think its funny to see me fail!"

"I never said that." he pointed out, sheathing his swords and crossing his arms. "Do you wish to fight me or what?"

"Oh-ho-ho..." she bit her lip, her gaze hardening. "You want a fight? I'll give you a beat down, but on _my_ terms. I said when I was done learning you were going down, well, now you are going to the dogs!" she turned and walked away, her helm held high as some more mechs laughed at her.

Megatron just stared after her with wide optics. She was quitting? Just like that? No, she was angry. She wasn't going to give up without a fight. What was that saying? Glitches be crazy?

He watched her go to her brother and he felt his spark sink slightly. What was she saying to him? He was just out of Audio shot, and he was sure Soundwave's nod wasn't good news for him. Flamewar gave a smirk at him over her shoulder and handed off her swords to her brother, rolling her shoulders as she returned. What was she planning? Servo to servo combat? Surely she wasn't foolish enough to believe she had any sort of physical chance to stand up to him..

Walking up to him, Flamewar circled around him slowly, taking his weapons away from their sheaths. He watched her carefully as she slipped away to hand them to some random mech in the crowd. He almost snapped at her for doing so, but then he saw the glint in her optics. "What are you planning Flamewar? I can best you in any form of combat. Why are you going to further embarrass yourself?"

She took up a space some ways away from him, her jaw set firmly. "Oh, I doubt you can best me in this Megatron. I've had a lot of practice in this. So shut up, follow my every move and tell me when you are ready to surrender."

He wasn't sure what game she was playing, or if he should be angry or furious. He only knew that he couldn't back down now. Everyone was watching. "Alright, do your worst." he challenged, red optics set on hers.

"Oh, I will, but first? Let's start with, oh let's say, the basics?" she nodded to Soundwave and some sort of music started to play over the intercom. Megatron looked at the femme in confusion. "_Prepare to be destroyed._"

* * *

**I figured this wouldn't end very well with the two of them. Megatron isn't the best teacher in the world and probably started with something way above her level, causing her to get frustrated and want to get revenge. The question is, what sort of fight does Flamewar have in mind? And what will Megatron's reaction be of he loses to her? ;)**

**Leave a Review please! :)**


	36. Chapter 36

_Work it_

_Make it_

_Do it_

_Makes us_

_Harder_

_Better_

_Faster_

_Stronger_

_Work it harder, make it better_

_Do it faster, makes us stronger_

_More than ever hour after_

_Our work is never over..._

"What the pit is this trash?!"

Flamewar savored the look of utter horror and confusion on Megatron's face, but simply continued her routine. She had spent a lot of time on the Nemesis researching human culture after Soundwave showed her how to access the human internet, and during her searches she had stumbled upon a human activity called 'Zumba' and she had been hooked on it ever since. Technically it was a dance, but from her research she found that there was such a thing as a 'Dance off' which was like a competition of sorts. But even if it wasn't a fight, she was still kicking his aft at it. He just couldn't keep up! She could see his face heating up in embarrassment at some of the exotic moves she was performing that he was suppose to copy, and she laughed.

She couldn't understand how one moment she could be so nervous around him in a sensual manner, and the next be able to do be doing such a sexual themed dance with him. Maybe it was because this was the only way she could think to humiliate him, or maybe it was because he looked so funny trying to follow her moves. She had been concerned that she might get distracted by his masculine stature, but it seemed he was more distracted in what she was doing to even pay attention to what he was doing himself.

Flamewar twirled around, moving her hips seductively and earning a few wolf whistles from the crowd and an annoyed growl from Megatron.

"My body doesn't move that way." he objected and she rolled her optics as she pranced a little closer to him.

"I beg to differ. According to Nightracer your hips move a lot better then that." she smirked. "Besides, you said you could beat me at anything..." she cooed moving just a tad bit closer, and he glared. "Do you give up yet?"

"Never." he growled, but it turned into a quiet squeak when she rubbed up against him. "What the scrap woman?!" his optics widened at the hip action and she blushed, quickly retreating farther away. She couldn't help it, the situation was just screaming for her to make him uncomfortable. This was pay back.

"You sure?" she laughed as he attempted to keep up with her moving arms and legs. She threw in twists and turns, and jumps and shimmies, and he just couldn't do it.

"This is ridiculous!" he stopped still, staring at her as if she were insane. "This isn't a fight it's a-it's a-"

"Zumbaaaa!" Flamewar laughed, continuing the routine and earning some applause from the crowd. Megatron just looked confused. And no wonder, he had probably never danced in his life, let alone heard of a dance from a different culture. "Give up Megsy, I have you beat." she winked at him, causing his face to flush again. How could he, a mech so dirty minded, find this embarrassing?

Megatron took a moment to watch the pattern of her feet, but then just shook his helm. "Fine, fine, I concede. You have bested me.." he sounded frustrated and embarrassed, almost to the point where she would pity him. But that's what he got for letting everyone laugh and mock her, while laughing and mocking her himself.

With one last spin around, Flamewar ended her dance and wrapped her arms around his neck. As the last of the music sounded she stepped up and kissed him briefly on the lips. She heard some laughs and cheers, but she was more focusing on the mech slowly wrapping his arms around her waist as he leaned into the kiss. Soon she felt him smile and she pulled back, giving him a soft smile in return.

Megatron shook his helm with a quiet vent. "Well played Flamewar, well played." he paused, his voice dropping to a whisper so only she could hear. "I am sorry you felt embarrassed, I should have started you off with something simpler."

She sighed deeply, "It's okay, I got my revenge." she squeaked as he picked her up off of the ground and carried her back to Soundwave. "Megatron, what're you doing?" she shrieked, grasping his shoulder tightly.

"I'm giving you back to your brother, I'm not sure I knew what the heck I was getting into when I asked you out." he grinned, even laughing a little as he dumped her on her feet in front of the silent mech. "Here, you can have her back, at least until I go find my swords..."

Flamewar watched as he turned and left, her cheeks flushed and her spark thumping hard in her chest. But it stilled when her brother gave her a disapproving look. "What?" she demanded, but he simply shook his helm, his shoulders rising and falling in a noiseless sigh. But then he stiffened. "What's wrong?" she waited for an answer but he didn't say a word, instead he just watched shyly as Nightracer crossed the room to hand Megatron his stolen blades.

"Ooh..." Flamewar nodded in understanding. With a slight roll of her eyes she shoved him on the shoulder to get his attention. "Soundwave, why don't you go talk to her?" he glanced at her, and then looked longingly back at the femme across the room.

::I can't...::

"Well, why not?"

::She's too... pretty...::

Flamewar rolled her optics again and gave him a shove forward. "Hey, you're a pretty good looking too you know. Go on, go get her!" she encouraged and watched as he slowly walked over in the femme's direction.

She was soon joined by Megatron and they watched the two bots together. The silver mech leaned closer to her and she heard him whisper. "A cube of high grade says he can't do it..."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I have two that says he can."

"You're on."

* * *

Soundwave's spark was practically beating at the speed of light. He felt sick in his stomach, but at the same time he had butterflies dancing inside of him. Nightracer was alone, with no mechs around to disturb her. This was as good a time as ever to go talk to her... But he didn't know what to say.

"Hey Soundwave."

He froze, his spark clenched and his vents becoming stained. What should he say?!

He gave her a quiet nod, and walked past her to the weapon rack beside her. He had half a mind to just leave, but he couldn't. He wanted to talk to her so badly, but he had no idea what she would want to talk about..

"Flamewar really handed Megatron his aft there didn't she?" the femme continued and he could only nod again. His throat felt dry. "So, where're you headed after your shift today?"

Finally finding his tongue, he answered quietly. "I have some work that needs catching up on. What about you?"

Nightracer raised an optic at him, maybe surprised that he had used his real voice and not a recording, but she didn't say anything about it. "I'm already off my shift. I'm just about to head down to the wreck room for something to munch on, then I thought I'd maybe go outside for a bit. Get some fresh air, you know?" he simply nodded again. He heard her sigh an he cringed, wondering if he should have answered differently. "Would you like to come with?"

Soundwave stumbled back a bit, his optics widening behind his mask. "What?"

Nightracer laughed, rolling her optics. "I said, would you like to come with me?"

He arched an unseeable optic ridge at her, his spark fluttering like crazy. "Are you-are you asking me out?" he couldn't believe it, and he couldn't believe he had just said that.

She laughed, "Well, you seem to be taking your precious time and I'm getting bored of waiting so yes, I am asking you out Soundwave." he felt her take his servo in hers and he froze up again. "So what do you say?"

He was never so glad for his visor before. His mouth hung open in shock, but he nodded in acceptance.

* * *

**Leave a Review please! :)**


	37. Chapter 37

**Sorry for the wait. I had a bit of- I was just- *sighs*.. I was lazy. I've had these next few chapters in my head from the very beginning, I was just getting a little tired out with this story so I decided to take a break. Sorry guys. But you can't expect me to put out as many chapters I have and not be burned out every once in a while ;p**

**Anyways, I just wanted to thank all of you readers/reviewers out there. Especially Scarlet Thorrn, you have encouraged me beyond belief with this story. I was very doubtful about it at first, but now I can say that I am a little more proud of it now.**

**Okay, enough of the boring stuff Emily! On to the next chapter! :)**

**Oh, one last thing! This chapter takes place a few days after the previous chapter... And Soundwave's going to be a little OOC. ;)**

* * *

"I. Am. In. Love!"

Flamewar jumped as her brother surprise hugged her from behind, lifting her clear off of her feet and twirling her around before setting her back down. He was beaming, his bright blue optics hiding no emotions at all. His lips were curled into a contagious smile and he laughed, holding her tightly in his arms.

"Flamewar, why didn't I do this sooner? I haven't been this happy in..ages!" he fell backwards onto the couch, letting his arms spread open lazily as he smirked at the ceiling.

She smiled, rolling her optics at her brother's antics. "Well, I'd say you owe me a lot for your current happiness. I gave you that push you needed to go over there." she secretly smirked. Her's and Nightracer's discussion about him before they went out she had decided never to tell him. It would make him feel better if he thought he had gotten the femme to like him himself. It had only been a few days since then, but already she could see that Soundwave was practically a new person. He didn't obsess over his work as much, and instead he had been asking her a lot about femmes. What did they like? What should he say to Nightracer if they passed in the hallway? He had been practically helm over heals for this femme since he met her, she wasn't at all surprised to see him so excitedly enthusiastic about admitting to be in love already.

"I do owe you a lot. I owe you so much sis'." he rose to his feet again and started pacing back in forth. He was so filled with static energy, she could practically feel it in the air!

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way." she swallowed down hard on the knot in her throat before she spoke again, her voice quieting significantly. "Because Megatron asked me to go with him to some human place tonight, and I want to go... Alone."

Soundwave instantly stilled, his previous mood halted as he stared at her. She could see the calculating look behind his worried optics and she bit her lip, wondering if maybe she had broke the news to him too suddenly. She had been trying to find the best time to tell him for the last day and a half.

She had been wanting to spend some time with Megatron, alone, for quite some time, and when he asked her to come with him off of the Nemesis she couldn't refuse! Something had been bothering her lately. And she wanted some privacy to talk to Megatron about it. They had been seeing each other for a while now, and he hadn't once said anything about how he really felt about her. Perhaps it was still a little soon to tell, but she wanted to know. She wanted to be sure that she wasn't being tricked into giving him her spark so he could crush it! She wanted to know if he liked-no-loved her in return. He hadn't once suggested that he did.

Her attention snapped back to Soundwave when his servos wrapped gently around hers. "Flamewar.." he started, his calmness rather forced. "I want you to be happy.. And, I want to trust you to make your own decisions." he paused, his voice taking on a heaviness. "You are a grown femme, and..I need to let you make your own choices and mistakes." he chuckled nervously. "At least, that is what Nightracer has told me I should do." he gave her a weak smile and she inwardly sighed, she should have known her friend would have her back with this.

"Thanks Soundwave." her smile spread wide and she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "I won't let you down. I promise..."

He sighed quietly. "It's not you I'm worried about letting me down..."

* * *

Soundwave vented slowly as Flamewar left the room, giving him an excited wave as she went. He hoped that he was making the right decision in letting her go. He had spoken to Nightracer fervently on the subject and she had him convinced soon enough that if he didn't let her go and 'spread her wings' she would run away from him, make horrid mistakes, and never want to see him again. He couldn't have that happening.

::Hey Soundwave! You busy?:: his com system lit up with his girlfriend's voice and his stomach went for a loop. He took a deep breath before answering that he wasn't doing anything and he heard her laugh. ::Good. Can I meet you somewhere? I want to talk to you.::

Soundwave shuddered slightly, his tanks turning. ::Sure. I wish to speak with you as well.::

::Good, I'll meet you in the wreck room?::

::Affirmative.::

* * *

**Okay, I know it was short but I will have more out very soon. I promise! I have actually plotted out every last chapter for this book, so.. It is eventually going to come to and end.. In about fifteen more chapters :/**

**Please Review! :)**


	38. Chapter 38

**Yay! Another chapter! See? I'm getting back into the swing of things now ;)**

* * *

Flamewar felt a giddy sensation take over her as she and Megatron prepared to groundbridge to their destination. Since she hadn't taken an alternate mode it was the only way for them to travel as far as half way around the globe. She glanced over he shoulder at him as he spoke with Dreadwing, giving him some last minute instructions for while they were gone. The second in command nodded briefly, acknowledging him respectfully before giving Flamewar a slight wink when their leader left to join her, as if just to say 'have fun'. She blushed and quickly turned to face the green portal before her.

Megatron chuckled beside her, the sound making chills go down her spine. "Anxious at all?" he mocked her fidgeting and she instantly stopped fiddling with her servos, earning another soft laugh. He simply placed his servo on her lower back and pushed her forward softly. "Let's hurry and get out of here before your brother changes his mind.."

"Agreed." she tried to sound amused by the joke, but she couldn't keep the nervousness out of her voice. She noted that he gave her a strange look but then they entered the portal. And when they emerged on the other side she couldn't stop the small gasp that passed her lips.

They were on a beach. The sky was painted a vast array of colors in the sunset, bleeding into the ocean as it lapsed on shore. The breeze was soft and fresh, and she could smell the faint odor of the native plants nearby. It was sweet, to every sense. She could hear birds father away, chirping and she could see the animals out in the water jumping up above the surface.

The beach itself was tucked away in the rocks, hidden by large crags that rose up above them. It provided some protection from human detection, but when she looked at the lay out before her, humans were the last thing on her mind. Megatron had moved past her to set up a small camp sight. A large blanket was lain out over the sand, and a few feet from that a fire had already been started. When she looked over the scenery again she couldn't help but feel her heavy spark lighten. Everything was perfect.

Megatron gave her a small smile, standing up to pulled her closer to him. "What do you think?" he asked, sneaking a kiss out of her as she frantically thought of something to say. He chucked when she just stared at him and took her servo, leading her out of the small cove and into the open.

Flamewar felt him stop as they neared the water but she continued without him, letting the ocean rise up around her ankles and her shins. She surveyed the seascape with teary eyes, feeling completely overwhelmed. "Megatron.." she shook her helm in disbelief. "This is so amazing."

He practically scoffed, rolling his optics as he advanced to her side. "Hey, I may be a war hardened gladiator, but I still have what it takes to put together something romantic." he wrapped his arms around her from behind, holding her against him firmly. She smiled up at him in return, gladly accepting the closeness. "But, I did have a lot of help."

She smirked. "I knew it."

"Hey, it was my idea though." he pulled her away and held her at arms' length. "I am still taking credit for the idea."

Flamewar rolled her optics, ignoring the defensive tone in his voice. "Where are we?" she looked back up at the sky as he answered some name that made no difference to her. Her gaze traveled back to him, then to the water around her legs, then back to him as an idea formed in her mind. She smirked slowly, making him look back at her strangely.

"What are you thinking?" he took a few cautious steps back, distancing himself perfectly for her attack. The splash of water in his face took him by surprise and she doubled over laughing as he wiped the salty liquid away from his optics. "Oh, so you think that's funny?" he smirked back at her and she stumbled backwards in dread of his next move. With his cannon armed he shot the water in front of her her, splashing up a wave to cover her helm to foot. Flamewar shrieked at the sudden comeback and he laughed as she stared at him in complete shock.

"Oh, it's on!" before he could do more than shout in protest, her servos braced against his chest and she shove him down into the water. With that, she made a hasty retreat, splashing up more water as she ran. She shrieked again when she heard him up and coming after. But as hard as she tried, she couldn't evade him for long. One look back at him, that was her mistake, and soon he had his arms around her waist and they both tumbled into the water together. Her scream turned into a giggle fit when he propped himself up over her, his smile and laughter interrupting her protest. And for a moment they simply stayed still, letting the waves wash up around them as their optics met.

Flamewar stifled a gasp at what she saw. His normally dark red optics, filled with hate and anger, flashed a bright blue, but only momentarily.. It was so quick she thought she might have just imagined it, but she could still just see the blue creeping out along the edges of his vision. Before she could stop herself, she reached out to touch the rim of his optics, caressing his cheek softly.

"Flamewar, are you okay?" he suddenly looked concerned, but she just smiled back and nodded.

"I'm fine." she assured him, letting her servo fall back to her side in the water. "It's just.." she felt her tanks give a painful twist as she forced the next words out. "Megatron, I think I.. I think I love you." she had known she would have to say it eventually. And she couldn't deny that she was hoping for the same response in return. But she didn't expect the look of almost horror to cross his face, and she instantly felt that she had made a bad decision. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that-"

Before she could get up and leave, Megatron clasped his servos around her hips, keeping her planted firmly beneath him. "No, Flamewar it's alright. I'm just-" he bit his lip, averting his gaze to the water and sand surrounding them. "-I'm not used to hearing that word." For a brief second they were both quiet, waiting for him to say something else. But it seemed he wasn't forthcoming with his feelings about what she had said.

"Megatron, have you ever told anyone that you loved them?" the question slipped past her lips before she could stop it. And the look in his optics made her spark sink sadly.

"No one has ever given me reason to." the pain in his optics lingered, but he gave her a small smile and trailed his servo up her side, forcing his arm between her and the sand behind her back. "But I am starting to believe I might have reason to now." with that, he sealed their lips with a kiss.

As the sun disappeared behind the curtain of water, Flamewar felt herself pulling herself closer to the mech and deepening their kiss. He grunted a little in shock at he forwardness but didn't otherwise complain. When they broke away finally the stars had come out and they were both sore from sand in their joints.

Flamewar laughed quietly, standing up. "Maybe we should have been doing that on that nice blanket near the fire." she tried to twist the sand out of her wrist but it seemed determined to stay there until it dried.

"Well, where's the excitement in that if it wasn't in the moment?" She raised an optic ridge at him when he nudged her playfully. "But, no one's saying that we can't do it near the fire too." he gave her a sly wink and she shivered.

"Wait-" she stopped in her tracks for a moment, her optics narrowing at him suspiciously. "Aren't we going back to the Nemesis?"

He looked back at her. "Do you want to?" the disappointment was masked but she could tell that he wasn't wanting to go back. And neither was she. His somewhat odd smile returned when she shook her helm, and he motioned towards the blanket on the ground. "Well then my dear, will you join me near the fire?"

She laughed softly, prancing up to take her place by his side. "I'd love too." she took the cube of Energon that was handed to her gratefully and sat down beside him. Somehow, she knew they weren't returning to the Nemesis at all that night.

* * *

"Soundwave, I need to talk to you." Nightracer gave him an uneasy look and that attracted his unwavering attention. He set his cube of Energon down on the table and watched her quietly, waiting for her to continue. She kept biting her lip and tapping her fingers on the table in a nervous manner, and he couldn't tell why she felt that way.

"Soundwave.. What do you see yourself doing in the future?"

He quirked an optic ridge at her. "How far in the future are you referring to?"

"Um..." she didn't meet his optics at all while she thought, and he started to calculate how serious of a conversation this was going to be. "Let's say..ten Earth years. What do you think you'll be doing by then?"

Soundwave have her a small shrug, hoping he didn't come off as too careless but stated his opinion anyways. "I will most likely be by Megatron's side fighting this war. Why?"

She sighed sharply and shook her helm. "I don't know. I just was thinking... What if-" there was something on her processor. Something she wanted to say, but she looked conflicted about it. "Soundwave I-.." she sighed again. "You know what, never mind. It's not important for now. And I think it may be a little soon to be asking anyways." she changed topics quickly, but for the rest of the evening he was trying to work out what she had been trying to say...

* * *

**Please leave a Review! :)**


	39. Chapter 39

**Okay, to keep some things perfectly clear. Nothing happened between Megatron and Flamewar that night at the beach. So, no sparklings. I got a really nice PM asking about that and I just wanted to make it clear that Flamewar is not sparked!... Okay, just making sure that we were all on the same page :)**

**This chapter meets the T rating! Be ye warned! Violence/Language/suggested violation and gore ahead! It's really not that bad though. It could have been much worse but I took a lot of the nasty bloody stuff out when I realized that it would probably exceed the T rating. ;) enjoy... Muahahahaaaa!**

* * *

"Megatron, I loved you! Why are you doing this?!" Flamewar cried, tears streaming down her face as the War Lord shoved her up against the wall.

Megatron looked down at her coldly, his optics burning with bloodlust. "Did you really think I ever gave a damn about you?" he seethed, his claws digging into her arms as she struggled. She cried out again, this time in agony as he drew Energon from her veins. "I never cared about you! I never once cared!" he bellowed, grinning like a daemon.

"I trusted you..." She sobbed, her helm bowed so he could not see her face, which enraged him. "I gave you my spark Megatron! I trusted you not to scare me away!"

He snarled at the comment and raked his claws across her chest, ripping through the armor and into the soft wires underneath. "You were a fool." he laughed, watching as she bled out freely. "You should have listened to your brother. I will never care about you."

Her broken voice cracked as she pleaded. "Megatron don't say this, if you do I will never forgive you..."

"I _never_ loved you, and I _never_ will." he growled, sealing the deal. His words were final and there was nothing she would be able to say that would change his mind. He felt her struggling to get away from him but he held onto her tightly. He wouldn't let her go until he was done with her. He pinned her mercilessly against the wall, grasping her hips and digging his claws into the sensitive joints. "Brace yourself. You're about to go on the wildest ride of your life!" he snarled, biting her neck and licking up the spilled Energon. She whimpered in pain, fear, betrayal. And he loved it. Every second of it. Every raw emotion.

"M-Megatron please..." she cried, but he cut her off with her own screams. He cut into her, ripped her apart, violating her in every way he could. And when he was finished, she lay at his feet cold and broken. Her once bright and joyful eyes were darkened, never to flicker to life again. He smiled at the sight, licking her blood from his servo and savoring the taste. He had waited far too long for that...

* * *

"FLAMEWAR!"

The fearless leader of the Decepticons awoke with a yell, his cooling systems working overtime trying to bring his core temperature down. He stumbled off from his berth, hyperventilating as he knelt down on the floor. His chest ached. The throbbing pain was consuming him, and he cried out in agony! But it wasn't any physical pain he had ever felt before, the feeling was something much deeper..

"Flamewar..." he whispered her name through clenched teeth in disbelief. How could he have dreamed up something like that? It was horrific! Sure, he'd be the first to admit that he had similar visions in the past, but somehow this had been much worse. He hadn't cared what happened to the ones he had dreamt of before... "What the hell..." he growled, pushing himself up to his knees slowly. His hole frame was shaking, and it was nothing he had ever felt before. He was shook up, terrified by himself in a mere dream!

He shook his helm slowly, holding his servo over his burning spark. "What is this madness?" It was as if his soul was on fire, and his spark was breaking. He didn't like what he had done, but in the dream it had felt so real. So pleasurable. So... dangerously wicked... It had been amazing. But now, he felt dirty. Downright nasty. How could he have done that, to the one femme he had ever cared about, even in a fantasy?

Something was wrong. He could feel it in his gut. Since the night nearly a week ago when Flamewar had confessed her true feelings towards him, he had felt different. Almost like, something was changing... And he didn't like it. Whatever was happening to him, whatever it was causing the feelings of guilt inside of him, he didn't like it at all. And he wanted them to go away.

"Damn nightmares..." he growled, getting back into his berth and pulling the blanket up to his shoulder. He hoped that the feeling would pass after some more sleep, but he knew that probably was not the case.

* * *

Flamewar, decks away from Megatron in his room, had woken in a cold sweat. Her optics wide with fear as she screamed for mercy, only to find that she was indeed awake. It had all been a dream.

Crawling out of her berth, she stood shakily to inspect herself. Her armor was not scratched, she wasn't torn apart. And as far as she knew, her purity was still intact. She vented slowly with a slight whine of relief, and she fell back onto her berth with a shudder. It had felt so real. Scarily real. But she was fine, the only sensation that lingered from the dream was the burning in her chest. But that was what bothered her most of all. Something didn't feel right. She could overlook the terrifying dream and the fact that her subconscious had told her that Megatron would never love her and would only hurt her, but something physically didn't feel right..

With cautious fingers, Flamewar opened up her spark chamber and peered inside. Her life force was still it's perfectly untainted blue, but it was different. Over the casing it lay in, there was a symbol. And it was one that she never thought she'd ever see...

Megatron had marked her a his destined mate. But the question remained, _did he even know it?_

* * *

**And...they just shared the same dream. Foreshadowing anybody? ;)**

**Please Review! :)**


	40. Chapter 40

The rain was coming down in a soft drizzle over the warehouse that Soundwave and Flamewar were sifting through, creating a soft drumming sound above them as they searched through the raw materials. Outside was dark, the only light given to them was from the one working lightbulb near the door and from the moon shining dismemberedly through the clouds in the hole in the roof. Ravage and the other two mini cons had joined their master and her on this scavenger hunt, and they hopped around the scrap metal excitedly as the larger bots searched.

Flamewar huffed in slight strain as she lifted a fallen support beam from a piece she was looking at. She smiled slightly when her brother came to help her, lifting it the rest of the way and tossing it aside. She still didn't know how she had been able to convince him to go searching through abandoned human warehouses with her, but she was glad that he had come. This was technically her first mission off of the Nemesis to look for repair supplies. And so far they had managed to find several things that could be melted down and reshaped to be useful. And even if she didn't say it out loud, she was glad to spend some time with her brother like this. It reminded her of when they were young, when it was just them against the world. No war. No tension because of their significant others. It was just him and her, having a good time rummaging through some scrap and getting absolutely filthy with mud. She enjoyed it, the mini cons enjoyed it, but by the annoyed expression in her brother's optics as he slipped yet again in the mud, she could tell he was a little less than pleased.

She laughed quietly at him, watching as he wiped down a metal slab. It was pretty rusty and useless. Honestly she didn't see why they even entered this building. It was a rather disappointing find. "Should we move on to the next location?" she asked, chuckling again when he vented in slight frustration. They had been working there for a while with little results. He shrugged, reaching a servo behind his back to rub at his shoulder.

"Or perhaps we should call it a day? We have made a lot of progress. I think we can afford to take a break." Soundwave suggested, waving for his mini cons to join them.

"Yeah I guess. So, call off the scavenging party and bridge back to the Nemesis?" he nodded in confirmation and she smiled happily. "Good, I was beginning to wonder if we were ever going back." she nudge him with her elbow, creating a smudge of mud across his chest. "Oh man, i am filthy!"

He rolled his optics, pushing her back with a dirty servo. "I too am looking forward to the cleansing room."

Flamewar laughed quietly as they walked out into the dark night, but she quickly fell silent. Her spark fluttered strangely at the thought of going back to the Warship. She hadn't seen Megatron since their date night, and she hadn't told anyone about the dream she had, or the mark over her spark. It was bothering her terribly to keep it a secret from her brother, but if he found out he would no doubt go ballistic. He had calmed down considerably and had accepted her relationship with their leader a little more willingly now that he was sure he wouldn't lose her completely, but she didn't think he was ready to know that Megatron had imprinted on her. The news would probably make him faint.

But still. It bothered her.

"So, how have things been going with Nightracer? You haven't spoken much about it." she struck up the conversation to fill the silence as they walked to the rendezvous point. But her brother just shrugged, sighed, and continued to trudge along by her side. She looked up at him sympathy fluttering in her spark. "Is everything okay?"

"Hmm? Yes, everything is fine." he assured her with a small smile. "She asked a strange question a little while ago. She seemed a little frustrated at my answer, but I think we have moved past it... for now. I can tell that something is bothering her, but I don't know what it is."

Flamewar jumped at the opportunity of insight into his relationship for a change, almost too quickly demanding. "What did she ask you?"

Again, he shrugged, letting his shoulders droop. "She asked what I saw myself doing in the future. And I told her that I would fight alongside Megatron until the war was over."

"Oh..." her optics grew wide, remembering something that Nightracer had once confided in her. She remembered her saying that she didn't want to be a part of the war. She wanted to go neutral, go to a planet where she could settle down with a Sparkmate and raise a family. She wanted to keep their race living and join the colonies that had settled near Cybertron. There, several femmes with Sparkmates had gone to get away from the war. She just wanted to have a normal life. "Soundwave, have you ever thought about a life outside of the war? I mean, have you ever thought to...quit?" she knew it was a stupid question as soon as it left her lips. Soundwave was loyal to Megatron, he would never abandon him to wage the war.

"No." he answered quickly. He obviously had no clue what Nightracer wanted out of life. But that was something she figured he would have to find out on his own. "What about you and Megatron?" he quickly switched subjects and she swallowed sickly. "Has he been treating you right?" it was more a demand than a question, and she could see him clench his servos out of the corner of her optics.

"Well, yeah..." she trailed off, thinking back to their time lying underneath the stars together. She had snuggled up close to him the whole time, and she hadn't failed to notice his servo roaming over her body as they both slipped into recharge. He hadn't been too forward, but he definitely hadn't been descrete with his thoughts. She knew what he was thinking about, and it only scared her. But he hadn't pushed anything on her, and their time together had been nice. Her thoughts of him were only recently tarnished by the nightmare she had of him. She honestly couldn't have told the difference between the dream Megatron and the real Megatron. And if she couldn't see the difference, what difference was there? She couldn't help but doubt him more and more. But she still loved him. She wouldn't stop caring about him over something as silly as a night terror.

She nodded quickly at Soundwave, snapping herself out of her train of thought. "He's been good to me." she assured him, but her tone went a little sour. "But I can tell that he wants to do more with me than we have been doing. It must be driving him nuts to not be having a sexual relationship with m-"

Soundwave made a noise of objection, covering his audios with both his servos quickly. "Waaay too much information Flamewar. I already know he has those thoughts towards you, I don't need to hear them said out loud!"

Flamewar laughed quietly at the red rising up in her brother's cheeks. "Well, other than that, things have been pretty good. I think he's opening up to me a bit more, but..." she trailed off uncertainly, wondering if she should tell her brother what was bothering her about her relationship. It was strange talking to him about it, but he was the only one she could talk to..

"But?" his voice was just the slightest bit venomous.

"He hasn't said how he feels about me!" she finally blurted out, unable to keep it in anymore. "He hasn't said anything other than he thinks I am pretty. And saying that he cares for me more than the femmes he has been with before doesn't exactly say much..." she whined in frustration, stopping in her tracks for a moment to collect herself. "We've been together for a while now, and he hasn't said once that he loves me." she felt her optics tearing but she willed herself not to cry. "I mean, I know it might be a little fast for someone like him, but still! I told him how I felt an he didn't-I mean-" she screamed into her servos in frustration. "Is it so much just to want to know?!" she felt her brother wrap his arms around her, but it provided little comfort in her state. "I just want to be sure of something. I just want to know if I'm making a mistake. If I've fallen for a guy who won't stop dragging his feet and commit! I just want to know-" she cried softly, letting her helm bang softly against her brother's chest. "I'm over-thinking this, aren't I? Mechs don't think about these things..."

Soundwave nodded in agreement, and she almost smiled. "Perhaps you should tell him what you are thinking. We're not mind readers." he pointed out.

Flamewar took that into consideration for a second. Maybe he was right. Perhaps it was time for her to have a serious talk to Megatron about their future.. But was it too soon? If all went well, it could put some of her fears to rest. But if something went wrong... What if Megatron decided she wasn't worth all the drama?

"I'll think about it. We're going to be meeting up again soon.. Maybe I will talk to him."

Soundwave gave his sister a confident smile and started pulling her towards the rendezvous point again. ::I know you'll do what is right.:: he said as they came into sight of the others.

Her tanks gave a violent churn and she vented slowly. She wished she had his confidence...

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**Please Review! :)**


	41. Chapter 41

**This chapter contains a sensitive subject to some people. Just throwing that out there. Wow, this is a long one... *smirks knowingly* ;) Muahahahaaaa!**

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Flamewar giggled quietly to herself when she moved her pawn across the board to take Megatron's knight. It wasn't that anything was funny in particular. She was just trying to relieve some of the stress and anxiety pumping through her veins. The mech gave her a curious look, but only continued their game, moving his King a step back. He was cornering himself, he was letting her win and she knew it. He must have been in a good mood.

"Oh, come on! How am I going to learn to truly beat you if you just let me?" she followed his King with her Queen, chasing him back another square. She heard him chuckle in amusement as she moved a bishop to block his path, and she narrowed her optics at him in confusion.

"You may think you are besting me.." he moved his Queen across the board with a smirk, successfully moving her into a check-mate. "But it was all a part of my own plan." Flamewar let a groan of defeat escape her lips and she slumped back into the chair, feeling the full sting of destruction. She had played right into his hands.

Megatron gave her a small smile, his foot brushing against her's underneath the table. "You see, it is all part of a strategy. Fool your opponent into believing that they have the advantage, and work them into a spot they can't get out of. It is just a matter of deception." he gave her a sly wink and lifted his cube of highgrade to his lips. "I'll teach you to see around such deceptions in the future. It is a good trait to look for in a person. If they are deceptive, don't trust them."

"So I shouldn't trust you?"

His body tensed, his optics wandering around in thought at the question. Flamewar noticed a slight edge in his voice when he spoke again, and thought that maybe it hadn't been the best question to ask. "No, I suppose you shouldn't trust me either... It is in my nature to be conniving. I wouldn't want you to place your faith in me only to have it ripped away if I did something rash. I don't want to cause you pain." he said quietly, regretfully almost.

Flamewar bit her lip harshly and took a quick swig of her own highgrade. "Well, I do trust you. I guess that's why you keep calling me a fool." she shrugged, reaching out with a finger to flick her King down in the dead position. She saw him smirk, and she continued to push down his King as well. Earning her turn to smirk, she picked up her queen and set her next to the enemies fallen leader. "That's for killing my mech you bastard." she smiled, and her spark fluttered happily when he did as well.

The two sat in silence for a moment, Flamewar looking down at the chess board while Megatron watched her. Her processor was on overdrive as she thought of a million things. Underneath the table she rung her servos, nervous about what she was about to ask. How could she ask about their future without totally weirding him out? Megatron wasn't the kind of mech to want to talk about things like that... How would he take it?

Heaving her shoulders in a deep vent, she drew his attention up to her face. Her optics locked with his, sending chills down her spine at the mere sexiness. There was no sympathy, no understanding, and no encouragement in his red orbs. The only thing she saw was a desire, a need, and a certainty. He was always very straightforward. Perhaps that was what she needed to be now..

"Megatron, what are we?"

His optics widened a little, then narrowed on her in confusion. "What exactly do you mean?"

She took another deep vent, calming her racing systems. "I mean, what is this relationship to you? Is this something that you really want? Or is it just a phase that I am just unfortunately a part of?" she studied his expression carefully as his optics met the floor. And she didn't like what she was seeing. He was thinking. He actually had to THINK about it! Her spark sunk at his hesitation, sure now that she wouldn't like his answer.

"Flamewar...it sounds like you are asking if I will make you my Sparkmate..." he looked up at her, his expression becoming unreadable. "Is that what you are asking?" she gulped in dread, then nodded. Glancing back down at the floor, he became lost in his thoughts again.

Flamewar shifted uncomfortably as the minutes ticked by on her internal clock. She wanted to run, run and hide in a hole. He was so...still.

"Yes..."

Her helm snapped up and she stared at him in surprise. "What?"

"You wanted to know if us bonding is in our future, and my answer is yes. I do believe that will eventually happen.." he paused, scratching the back of his helm as she stayed frozen in shock. "There is really no reason why we should not end up together. It all works out..."

She gaped at him, her optics sparking in shock. She felt like she couldn't breathe! Her systems were overheating terribly, but the confession did little more than to frustrate her further. Sure, he said that eventually he would want to bond with her, but what exactly did that mean? Did he just want her around as some sort of symbol? Did he want her to be a part of some plot? Or did he honestly care about her, love her, and want to be with her? She feared she wouldn't know the true answer, but what she had was a start.

"Alright, my turn for a question." He continued as if he didn't see the surprise that he gave her. "If you're so worried about the present and future, why are you even dating me? You went into this knowing who I was and what I am, what we are. Why do you bother worrying about something that just takes time?" his optics seemed to be piercing into her soul as he paused to let his words sink in. "I know what is bothering you, Flamewar."

"Y-you do?" she watched him nod and her body relaxed, feeling a weight being taken off her shoulders. But what he said next made her want to slap herself in frustration.

"You're worried that I am growing bored of you."

She groaned, letting her head fall backwards to stare at the ceiling. He didn't understand, he just didn't get it! "Nooo...that's not it." she drawled, avoiding his gaze.

"Oh." she heard him shift on the chair and she grimaced at his change in tone. "Well then, I am at a loss..." he raises an optic ridge at her. "So why don't you enlighten me further?" he suggested, leaning forward across the table as he rested on his elbows.

"Well, I..." she faltered, and huffed in frustration. "It's just that...I don't know anything that goes through your head." she tried to explain, but it sounded lame even to her. She expected that he would laugh at her, but he didn't seem to really care about the way she put it, he just gave her a small smile.

"Well then, ask me. Ask me any question and I'll tell you the first thing that comes to my mind."

"Umm, okay." something in her gut told her this might have been a bad idea, but she wasn't sure when she might next get a chance to get some insight into him.

"But-!" dang! She knew there would be some catch. "I get to ask something about you too. We'll go back and forth." he stood up, taking his empty Energon cube and growing it away. "As always, femmes first." he gave her an amused look and leaned against the wall, waiting.

There were so many things she wanted to know. More than anything, she wanted to know how he felt about her, but she restrained herself. He would tell her that when he was ready too. "What do you like to do in your spare time?"

He looked a little surprised by the inquiry, but he shrugged and answered all the same. "I like building things. Despite what many think, breaking and killing isn't my entire world. I have a ship in a private bay that I have been working on for a long time. I've been putting it back together piece by piece in what spare time I have to be alone. It is almost finished actually..." he went silent, letting her take in what he had said for a moment before asking his own question. "Do you have a hobby?"

"I like drawing. And I do a lot of reading too." she fiddled with her highgrade in thought. "I like reading about Cybertron before the war. The poets and literature that Soundwave salvaged from Iacon are very beautiful. Sometimes I wish I could have seen and read more before the war started..." she vented sharply, changing the subject. "Do you think mechs are the stronger of the sexes?"

He scoffed, rolling his optics. "Of course, don't you?"

She nodded. "Yes, but femmes are more conniving and (in a sense) evil in every way." she smirked when he shook his helm in disagreement.

"Whatever." he muttered, making her cross her arms. "Have you ever dated before?"

"Wow, afraid of a little competition?" he growled at her and she laughed quietly. "No, I haven't. Have you?"

"A long time ago, yes. It is hardly worth mentioning though." he said quickly, easing the slight tension in her. Walking over to her, he bent over her and let his lips brush against her audios. "What do you want to do after the War is over?" his voice became oddly husky and he kissed a line down her jaw as he waited for her reply.

"Settle down, and have a family." her breath caught in her throat as he pulled away, severing the intimacy. His expression became a little uncomfortable, but he nodded in acknowledgement. "Do you want sparklings?"

"No." he answered quickly, almost sharply, making her spark sink a little. She had always wanted to be a mother... He seemed to take notice of the droop in her shoulders and he quickly explained himself. "It's not that I wouldn't like to have my own progeny, sparklings just..." he heaved a sigh. "They've never liked me too much."

They were enveloped in silence for a little while, and she suddenly dreaded his next question. If he looked conflicted about something, it couldn't be good. "I know this will come up sooner or later, so I suppose it is best to get it over with." he locked optics with her seriously. "What are your views on a 'spark-split'?"

Her spark practically died in her chest. A spark split was a terrible thing, something deeply frowned upon in their society. Unlike in human culture, it was very hard to get the procedure done. And it usually left a great amount of damage behind, physically and mentally. The mere idea disgusted her.

"It's wrong." she said flatly.

"Why do you say that? Is it not better for those who don't get along to move on and have better lives?"

"It's selfish! It's just a way to get the things that you want. Unless the relationship is abusive, there are always alternative ways to work something out. A spark-split should never be your fall back option." she couldn't keep the sadness out of her voice. The fact that he even brought up something like that made her sick!

"But what if things couldn't work out?"

She stood up, her optics flaring brightly. "There is always a way. As long as you have something to strive for, there is always a way to save an imperfect relationship! Don't tell me you actually think that a spark-split is a good thing?!"

He was quick with his answer and to his feet as well. His gaze burned with almost as much intensity as hers. "I do in fact support the idea. If it was a mistake and wasn't meant to be, then it shouldn't be."

"Oh that is so self centered!" she glared at him, her optics filling slightly with tears. She couldn't stand the thought of it all...

"Hey, if you don't like what I have to say, it's not too late to walk out that door 'split-free' so to speak." he pointed past her to the door with a growl, sending her tears down her cheeks. "If we ever do join sparks and things don't work out between us, a split will be an option for me, whether you like it or not!"

Flamewar stared at him, shaking her helm in disbelief at what he was saying. "How could you be so cruel? To go into a relationship with the mentality that you can just split from it if you don't like it?!" her voice was raising octaves by now in her grief.

"Because that is who I am!" he snapped, glaring at her. "If you don't like it, so be it!"

Her servo smacked across his face before she could stop it. And in his stunned silence she was able to make a run for it, her face in her servos to hide her tears.

She ran until she reached her room. Locking it quickly behind her, she through herself onto her berth and wailed mournfully. How could he agree with something so wretched? How could he look at her and say that he could always split from her if he didn't like her? She knew he was looked at as cruel, but how could he be so totally insensitive?!

"Megatron, you aft..." she sobbed quietly, brokenly.

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**Poor Flamewar... :( I'd freak out and cry too if I was her.. That may not have been a good question to spring while she was considering if he even cared about her. What's she supposed to think now?... Oh well.**

**Leave a Review please. :)**


	42. Chapter 42

**To Scarlet Thorrn, thank you! I couldn't have said it better myself! :)**

**Anyways, thanks for all the amazing reviews you guys. It really is inspiring. :)**

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Megatron glared furiously at the Vehicons he passed, almost daring any of them to step out of line so he could tear them to shreds. He had to get off of the Nemesis before he exploded in a fit of rage! And for a lesser reason, to duck out before Soundwave came looking for him.

He couldn't believe it, any of it! He couldn't believe he had initiated what was going to be labeled as their first fight! She looked so torn up and had run away from him crying! How could he ever look her in the face, and apologize for something he wasn't even sorry for, and sound convincing? He knew he would have to eventually-scratch that. He didn't have too. He was the Leader of the thrice cursed Decepticons for crying out loud! He didn't have to apologize for anything. But he wanted to. He didn't want to have their relationship ruined over an argument, he had been trying so hard to keep it together. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he really wanted their relationship to work out. It was the only thing that added a little happiness in his life. It was something looked on as normal. To find someone to settle down with, once everything was over, it was the only think that haunted his mind over the millennia.. Although he may not have looked like the type of mech to want something like that, he was. It was one of the few things he went on for...

"I am such an idiot!" he growled, turning around a corner sharply and almost running into one of his minors. He shoved the little mech out of his way and continued out onto the flight deck. "How could I have brought something like that up when things were going so well? She was happy, by the Allspark, I was happy! And I-ruined-everything!" once he was outside and alone, he grabbed the closest thing to him and hucked it over the edge of the floating airship with a yell! His spark wouldn't stop throbbing in his chest, he made a note to have it checked sometime when he got back, but right then he just had to get away for his own sanity's sake.

Transforming as he jumped up into the air, he wasted no time in blasting off, away from the Nemesis. The sky was becoming dark, just dark enough that he could fly above the human population without being detected. Not that he really cared, but it was nice to not worry about being shot at or speculated.

He turned off his com system and his locater, and he was finally totally alone.

It was quiet. The sky was without clouds and he could just see the stars starting to show their best. They glowed brightly in the dark abyss of space, twinkling and mocking his darkness. They were so pure, but against the darkened sky he was once again reminded how good things could be snuffed out by the dark, by evil... The same things that lurked inside of him. How could Flamewar claim to love him like she did? How could she love something so war hardened, so twisted and blood thirsty, so devoid of compassion? How? It wasn't like he ever gave her any true reason to. He didn't treat her like she was something perfect, in fact he reminded her of her faults constantly! He picked out each thing about her that wasn't good enough and he tried to re-shape her into something he saw better. That wasn't what femmes liked, they wanted mechs who would hang onto them because they were so terrified to lose them. They wanted mechs who would complement them even when they didn't deserve it.. Didn't they? Isn't that what they wanted? If so, why was Flewar so different? She encouraged taking advice from him, welcomed him trying to make her better. She let him teach her new things and, in turn, she even showed him a thing or two. And she liked it! He liked it...

He groaned in frustration, finally landing on the tip of a cliff on the edge of the forest. He clutched his servo over his chest in annoyance at his spark fluttering. He felt so guilty. He felt...empty inside. He had turned a nice calm evening with his girlfriend into a disaster.. Over a stupid question. Looking back now, he wished he had never asked it. It was a stupid thing to ask considering... He sighed deeply, pressing his servos over his optics with a strangled yell. Considering that if he ever bonded with her, he would never ask for a spark-split. He liked her too much. She was kind, innocent, caring, and mischievous (in a playful way). She was everything he wasn't, a complete polar opposite. She...completed him.. in so many more ways than one.

"Ugh, Flamewar what am I going to do..." he asked aloud to no one but the wind. Taking a steadying breath, he started walking through the woods quietly, following a small brook by the sound of the trickling water. It was peaceful, mind settling.

"And that one is Orion."

He froze at the sound of a human voice, his optics darting around until he saw a clearing. He moved forward with caution, unprepared for what he saw next.

"And that is the big dipper, correct?" Optimus Prime lay on his back in the grass, pointing up at the sky, with a small human on his chest. The girl nodded, and leaned back against the window shield over his chest. It was not any of the Autobot's human friends he had seen before, but that was hardly anything to make note of. Optimus Prime was out, alone, and unprepared...

Megatron smirked, quietly powering his cannons as he moved forward for a better shot.

"So..." the girl started up a conversation, keeping the Prime unaware of the imminent threat. "Has Ratchet calmed down at all with Starscream? I mean, I know he kind of downplays it around us, but I think you know him best. Has he forgiven the silver pain in the butt for-"

Snap!

Megatron cringed at the sound when Optimus suddenly went on the alert. Hearing of his former second in command had distracted him, and he had stepped on a fallen branch. He growled in annoyance, his cover blown, and he slipped through the trees into the clearing.

Optimus was up in a second, weapons armed and the girl placed on the ground behind him. His battle mask slid over his mouth, hiding some of his features but his surprise was evident. "Lyla, call for Ratchet to send a ground-bridge." he ordered, and unlike the other girl that hung out with the Autobots, Miko he believed her name was, the girl quickly did as she was told.

"Well, well, well... Optimus, it has been a while." He smirked, but it almost faltered at the look of confusion in the Prime's optics. What could he- Megatron bit his lip, only now realizing that his face was dampened with Energon. He hadn't felt them before, but they were obviously tears.

"Scrap!" he growled quietly, raising his cannon to aim at the Prime, but before he could fire on them the ground bridge opened, and the two of them disappeared. "Scrap it all!" He shouted at the sky, feeling humiliated! He had shown weakness in front of his enemy! In front of the damned Prime himself!

He vented shakily, letting himself collapse to his knees in the dirt. And he let his helm hang forward as his optics closed. "This just isn't working... I need to fix this." his spark thumped painfully and he sighed again. "I need to apologize."

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Dreadwing was already on the bridge when Megaton entered the room, making the War Lord growl. He didn't want to be there but when his second in command had summoned him, he said it was urgent. "What is it Dreadwing? I don't have all day!" he snapped, sitting down in the command chair as he waited to be briefed.

The large Seeker turned to look at his master, his large optics cautious. "Master, forgive me for interfering where it is none of my business to be, but I could not help overhearing yours and Flamewar's little...spat."

"You were eavesdropping?!"

"In my defense sir, it was kind of hard not to hear you. You were both yelling quite loudly." the Seeker didn't seem fazed by his death glare and he continued. "I think I may be able to offer some advice, if you would care to hear it."

Megatron growled quietly, wanting to decline the offer, but he knew that he needed the help. He may have been a Master of war, but he wasn't very experienced in any other area. He turned his glare onto the ceiling and let his shoulders droop. "Speak before I lose my patience." he ordered, off-lining his optics for a few seconds, trying to clear his head.

Dreadwing seemed honestly surprised by his answer, but did as he was told. "Sir, everyone has the right to their own opinion. Even in a relationship, each person has different views and ideas. And that is alright. As long as you can accept that and find a way to retain the peace between you. No matter how long you know each other, you will always think differently than the other. You are two individuals. It is only natural."

"Dreadwing, have you ever even been in a relationship before, or are you just speculating?" he opened an optic to glare at the mech, but the Seeker just shrugged.

"A few."

"Hmm..." He vented tiredly, rising to his feet quickly. "Your opinion is noted." he headed back towards the door, but paused before leaving. "But if I ever catch you eavesdropping again I will tear off your wings and throw you off this ship personally."

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**Oh goodness, poor Megatron. How embarrassing... For those of you curious, the girl is from my book "Friends and Family", which is about the Autobots during all of this. **

**I will try to get the next chapter up soon. Leave a Review please! :)**


	43. Chapter 43

**So, I was going to make you all wait for this chapter. But I decided to put it up early. Enjoy! :)**

**This chapter meets the T rating near the end.. That's all the warning you get ;)**

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With a shaky intake, Flamewar turned away from her brother's caring arms to face the cold room. Her face was stained with tears and her spark hurt, but she hadn't told Soundwave what happened. She refused to tell him, fearful that he might take her's and Megatron's argument and blow it out of proportion. He would probably hint the mech down it he told him what they had argued about. Soundwave was a strong believer of faithful and permanent Sparkbonds, like herself, the thought of a spark-split disgusted him. She wouldn't release that can of wrath on their leader, even if she did want to strangle him at the moment.

"Flamewar, tell me what is wrong. What did he do to you?" Soundwave demanded, looking at her sternly as she wiped the Energon streaks away from her face. His voice was angry, and she concluded that he could never know about what the two of them had said. He would explode if he ever found out.

"It's...not what you think it is." she assured him, standing up to go wash her face. "We-we just had a fight..that's all."

"A fight? Did he hit you? Scrap him, Flamewar tell me what he did to you!" he growled, standing up to watch her carefully. She vented in frustration and watched his reflection in the mirror over her sink. He wasn't going to let her be vague.

"It was just an argument Soundwave! We just had a disagreement and it got a little out of hand. Really, I'm fine. I'm just a little upset. He said something that I really wanted to hear and then dropped a bomb that completely tore me apart inside." she saw him stiffen and quickly added. "But I'm fine now, really. I just needed sometime to cry it out and think about it. And...I might have overreacted a bit." She admitted, the guilt in her spark returning. She had slapped him, hard. The shock in his optics alone haunted her, and she felt so guilty it was consuming her from the inside out!

"Where is he now?" he continued to sound as if he wanted to strangle somebody but she could see that he was trying to control his anger. His posture fell slightly as he tried to look calm, tried and failed.

"I don't know." she shrugged, wiping away the wetness from her face with a towel. She sighed and straightened up, looking at her reflection. She was a wreck. Her overall demeanor was exhausted and weary. Her orange, red, and black armor was dull and in need of a good cleaning, and her optics were dimmed from her long cry. She had lost a lot of Energon crying for a few earth hours. "I ran off and I didn't see what he did after that."

Soundwave was quiet for a moment, his gaze cast down to the floor as he thought. "This argument, was it really bad? Do you think it could end your relationship permanently?" she thought that his tone would have sounded hopeful, but for a change he seemed disappointed.

She shook her helm. "I don't know. It was pretty bad I think. But I don't want this to be the end. We were just starting to get to know each other and become closer..I would hate for this to drive us apart." she felt her brother's servos on her shoulders and his next words surprised her.

"Then don't let it drive you apart." he said, gripping her shoulders firmly the emphasize his point. "Every argument can be reconciled with conversation, even if you simply agree to disagree. Do you understand?"

She looked up at him, surprised at his support in trying to mend their relationship. She gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yeah... I understand. I just-I can't help but feel like even if I am the one who apologizes for this, we won't be able to move on. Soundwave, I feel like something very bad is going to happen, I don't know what, but the feeling won't leave me alone." she tapped the armor over her spark chamber thoughtfully. "I feel it here, whenever I think of him..."

She shook herself quickly, feeling a little silly. Of course, her brother wouldn't understand what she was talking about. She still had yet to tell him that she had been marked, he would just think she was going crazy if she kept talking like she was. With a quiet sigh, she flopped back into her berth and stared at the ceiling. "Thanks for coming here Soundwave, I really appreciate it."

He simply shrugged. "I'd do anything to make you feel better." She laughed, rolling her optics at him. But her laughter was cut off sharply by a knock at her door. She looked at Soundwave, shock and dread coursing through her. Who could it be? As if sensing her worry, he walked over to the door to answer it, and the person standing outside was who she least expected at that moment.

"I need to speak with Flamewar." Megatron looked past her brother into the room until he spotted her. Instantly she felt herself almost shrink, shying away from the door as his gaze landed on her. What could he want to say? Was he going to tell her that their relationship was over? Her spark started to beat quickly, in hurt. Maybe it was her imagination, but she thought she saw him flinch. The glow of his insignia over his spark chamber flickered almost in time with the beating pain in her own.

Megatron looked back to Soundwave, his gaze not as sharp as it was normally. "Please, I wish to speak with her alone." it was almost like a command, but her brother didn't move to leave until she nodded slowly to him. Whatever it was their master wanted to say, she was sure she could handle it. She would have to one way or another.

Megatron shut the door behind them, ensuring their privacy as he walked further into her room. As he neared she wrapped her arms around her knees in an attempt to calm herself. His gaze softened further at the motion and he looked around unsurely, his shoulders rising and falling with each tense breath he took. Finally when the silence was too much to take, she shifted on her berth and spoke up quietly.

"What do you want?" she was ashamed that her voice sounded so small...

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"What do you want?"

Megatron vented slowly, trying to pull his thoughts together. What did he want? There were many things that he wanted, and most of them involved Flamewar. But how could he tell her that? He had worked out what he was going to say on the way down there but now that he was standing in front of her he seemed to forget everything. She had a way of doing that to him...

"I came to apologize to you." he said finally, clasping his servos behind his back in thought. "It has been pointed out to me that although our opinions differ that is not a reason for us to be at odds with each other.. Not for long anyways. If we want this relationship to move forward-" he paused, giving her a sidelong glance, "-And I really do- we need to get used to the fact that we will not always agree on everything. I am sorry that I brought that subject up so suddenly and made you feel uncomfortable. But we all have a right to our own opinion. I have mine, and I will respect yours." he breathed again, a little shocked that he got that all out so quickly. He thought that it would have been harder to be as open and emotional as he was, but it really wasn't. He cursed himself for going soft, but remained quiet as he waited for her to respond.

Her helm bent in thought and he could see that her posture was relaxing. "I... Thank-you.."

He looked at her, a little confused. "For what?"

"For not making me wonder for weeks if it was over between us." she clarified, standing up (but still rather shakily). She still looked torn up on the inside, but she was slowly mending. "I might have overreacted too, and I'm sorry I slapped you.."

Megatron smirked, "Was that what that was?" he scoffed dismissively. "felt like an affectionate pat." he watched her roll her optics and his smirk melted into a slightly less teasing smile. He didn't know how but some time when he wasn't paying attention she had slipped her arms around his neck and was cuddling closely against his chest. He felt his spark do a backflip and his tanks did the same. Maybe he was sick..

He quickly shook the idea out of his mind and returned her gesture carefully. His servos trailed perhaps a little too far down her back but she didn't seem to mind. He guessed she held no illusions that he would stick in the "friend zone", as humans called it. He wanted her and she knew it. He wasn't going to try to hide it.

"I love you..." she purred quietly, snuggling more comfortably against his chest. He looked down at her with a nearly inaudible sigh of relief. She chuckled and pulled him down to more her hight. "Come here you-" he wasted no time in claiming her lips when she offered them. She sucked at his and he nipped at hers, making her squirm and causing his primal instincts to appear. He pushed her up against the wall, his servos running up and down her thighs and her hips. He swept his glossa over her lips with a small growl, and hers parted with a quiet moan, granting him access. And she tasted so good! He wanted more.

"Flamewar-" he breathed huskily against her neck and he pressed his thumbs into some of her sensitive abdominal wires. His spark was hammering hard in his chest and his body was electrified with arousal. "I want you." he growled, biting softly down on her neck cables. He heard her whine and that only caused to continue his overcharge. "Why do you make me wait?"

She squirmed. "B-because I'm not ready.."

With that confession, he was brought back down to reality. He closed his optics for a few minutes as he forced himself to cool down and calm things to a more manageable level. When his gaze met hers, he could see that she was thankful for his restraint, and he cursed himself again. He still wanted her. But instead of listening to his urges, he settled for a simple, tender kiss to ease her fears further. He wouldn't take her against her will. Not his femme.

"I love you." she said again, her blue optics piercing into his, searching him for something. He gave her a small smile and held her close to his spark in silence.

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**Woo! Getting kinda steamy.. ;) I kid of course, I know I suck at that kind of stuff ;p lol.**

**Leave a Review guys, and I will have the next chapter up soon! :)**


	44. Chapter 44

After a reasonable amount of time hugging, Flamewar felt Megatron pull away, holding her at arms' length in front of him. "There is something I want to show to you." he said, taking her servo in one of his own. His were warm and she could still feel some static coming off from him from his excitement earlier, but she tried to ignore it. "I have thought about it, and I want to give you something."

"Megatron, you don't have to give me anything-" she objected but he merely pulled her towards the door. Obviously she had no choice but to follow.

"Look, I feel bad about what I said, and I was already going to do this. I figured now might be a good time." he said quickly, cutting off any further objections to his actions.

They both fell silent when they passed Soundwave in the hall. His arms were crossed sternly over his chest and she could almost feel his death glare honing in on their master. But before he could say or do anything, Flamewar gave him a slight nod, telling him that everything was going to be fine. He was reluctant to back off, but he did, and soon they were alone on their way to wherever Megatron was taking her.

The walk was wordless, and she wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Seemingly unconsciously, Megatron was still holding her servo in his own as they walked. The gesture brought a warmth into her chest and she couldn't help but smile at the astonished looks mechs gave them as they passed. She giggled quietly and Megatron looked down at her questioningly. She waved off his question carelessly and moved a little closer to him. Could he really not be aware that he was showing affection, genuine affection, in public? For some reason, she was sure he wasn't. He wasn't the type of mech to do that kind of thing. But she would treasure this moment for as long as she could.

After turning down a few halls, she started to see where they were headed. Not far from the engine room was a hanger bay for piloted cruisers. They weren't used often, and not many entered that area unless they were told to, so she was a little surprise to be going there with him.

"What are we doing here?"

He chuckled, smirking down at her as he opened the door to the hanger bay. "Remember when I said I was working on rebuilding a cruiser?" he asked, leading her around the edge of the room to another door. Flamewar's spark froze in anticipation as he continued. Was he really doing what she thought he was? "I have come to realize that there isn't much more I can do with it. The ship's engine is repaired to working capacity, and there are no more breaches in the hull." as he continued to list off the things he had fixed he turned on the lights of the smaller, darker room. And what she saw amazed her. The cruiser wasn't a battle fitted fighter, but one more fit for traveling across the universe. It was large, probably meant for more than one passenger, and the outer hull was painted a simple grey. The long wings expanded for steadier flight, not at all combat fit. It was a picture of a simpler, peaceful time. A time when there would be no more war.

She snapped out of her daze when Megatron laughed at her far off look, and she blushed.

"As I was saying." he continued, finally releasing her servo from his grasp to walk around the space craft. "I've done all I can do with it. I am not one with an optic for color or style, so I haven't bothered to finish the finer details.. But I figured, maybe you would be able to.." he ran a servo over the edge of the wing with a small smile, like he was seeing an old friend. "So, do you want to take it off my servos? If you like it, it's yours." he glanced at her, but was unprepared for the chest crushing hug that she inflicted on him.

"Oh my goodness, Megatron it's beautiful!" she was so excited she felt like she could scream, but she restrained herself, instead resorting to jumping up and down excitedly. She ran around the ship to inspect the hull. Ducking under the belly, she ran her servos over the seems carefully, finding the access panels to the engine.

"Okay, wait a second." Megatron laughed when her optics widened at the image of the engine before her. It was a mess! Nothing she couldn't fix, but a mess all the same. She paused to look at him, her arm already thrust into the mechanics up to her elbow. "Don't you at least want to see the inside before you go tearing apart and redoing all that I've done?"

Her helm ducked with and embarrassed sigh. "Okay..." she conceded, following him to the door hatch. She saw him glance at the grease already smeared up her armor and shake his helm with an amused look.

"You like getting dirty don't you?"

She nodded embarrassedly. "Yeah, I love engine grease. Call it a weakness."

The inside of the ship was just as plain as the outside. The walls and floors were grey, the only colors that broke it up were the ones showing through the windows. There was a living quarters section of the ship, and engineering and a cockpit. The living area was the most impressive. Three rooms adjoined to one living area, each room filled the the proper furniture. There was a storage closet and a washracks too. Everything you would need and just enough space to house a small group, maybe a small family..

Megatron looked down at her, his expression almost soft. "What do you think?" he ran his servos down her sides and rested them on her hips as she continued to look around. She felt warmth coming from his chest and it seeped into her back struts soothingly. All worries of their future together left her mind and were replaced with calm thoughts of peaceful moments they could have in this place. After the war was over. When they could be just a normal couple...if that was ever a possibility.

"What are you thinking about Flamewar?" his lips pressed against the back of her neck, sending chills down her spine.

"Just that this room needs color something fierce!" she smirked up at him and turned to hug him again. "You know, usually when a couple fights, the mech gets the femme something pretty." she nipped at his lip playfully and he raised an optic ridge at her.

"Well, I thought that giving you something that you could make the way you wanted it would be better." he quipped back, making her smile. "Unfortunately, I don't have more time to spend with you." he said, regret filling his tone. "I have work to do. Those Iacon relics aren't going to find themselves." he gave her a quick kiss and released her, turning to leave.

"Okay, just don't bring the Warship to life again." she teased and he laughed.

"I won't."

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**So, next chapter will take place after a bit of a time spread and will kind of tie this story in with the TV series a bit. :)**

**Leave a Review please! :) **


	45. Chapter 45

**Okay, large time jump from last chapter to this one. This chapter starts about one month after the previous one.**

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"Megatron, can you pass me that wrench by your foot?" Flamewar asked, pushing a cog back into place with one servo as she reached the other out expectantly. She felt the tool placed in her grasp and she continued her work. She bit her lip as she pulled the bolt just a bit tighter to ensure that it wouldn't come out. The space cruiser that he had given her was coming along nicely. In the few earth weeks that had passed she had almost completed the inside and had given the outer hill a fresh coat of paint. But, other than what she had done with the outside and with the accessible engine, he hadn't seen any of her work. She wouldn't let him inside and insisted that he didn't look at it until it was finished completely. But at times like this, when she would work on the engine or the main thrusters, he would come down to spend time with her and help where he could.

Megatron had been busy lately with all that had been going on with the Decepticons. She hadn't heard the entire story yet, but she had heard rumors that a human had come aboard, wearing Breakdown's body as a skin. The thought infuriated her that someone could be so insensitive, but was glad when she heard that he got what was coming to him. They said the man's screams were heard echoing around the upper levels of the Nemesis. Obviously Knockout had his revenge.

Other than that, the race for the Iacon relics was still at it's high. Soundwave was just a few weeks away from decoding another set of coordinates. But it seemed like an eternity to Megatron. He was growing impatient, she could see that every time she looked at him. He was agitated, and almost always angry. But when he visited with her, she noted that he calmed down considerably. He didn't yell, he didn't argue in anything other than playfulness, and he tried to be kind.

But he was still himself. She could still see the want in his optics, the impatience when she insisted that she wasn't ready to do anything more than what they had. He was becoming more forward with his advances, but even at his most passionate, he listened to her. It was uncharacteristic for him to be that understanding with anybody, especially a femme. And she couldn't help but wonder if maybe... Maybe he was changing? He was gentler and softer spoken around her, but he had still yet to tell her that he loved her and wanted to be with her. Honestly, she couldn't help but think that he was dragging his feet, that he wasn't committing. And she didn't know what to do.

It had come to her attention several times that there were more variables than just him and her. There was the Autobots, the relics, Starscream was still out there somewhere, and all of those things seemed to take up much of his processing. So, she decided to give it even more time. That was all she could do at the moment.

"You're quiet today." she remarked, dropping her wrench as she pushed another cog back in place. It scattered to the floor a few feet away and she saw him bend down to pick it up.

"I have had a lot on my mind." he said quietly, turning the small tool over carefully in his servos, inspecting it.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she offered, but already knowing the answer. He may have been opening up to her more, but he still wasn't one to admit that he was having issues and talk about them. She heard his expected scoff and smiled at his predictability. "Well, if you're not going to talk can you get down here with me and help?" she asked, reaching out for the wrench again, but this time he didn't hand it to her. Instead, she felt him climb up onto the working slab and lay down next to her.

"Where do you need help?"

She pointed at the loose bolts and he went to work with her. They brushed against each other's servos and she couldn't help but notice just how close he was. When she glanced over at him his optics were focused on his work like there was nothing else in the universe that required his attention. But behind that look she could tell that he was thinking hard about something. She could only guess what it was. It probably didn't have anything to do with her. When he thought about her he would smirk, or be watching her with a glazed look in his optics as he thought about something disgusting. The look he had now was different. It was determined, and deadly.

"What are you thinking about?"

Megatron shifted slightly to look at her, his lips twitching in a small smile. "Nothing... just the war." he vented shortly, going back to work.

She nodded in understanding, but continued to watch him. "Sometimes it feels like it won't end." she watched him nod and moved a little closer to him, taking a moment to rest with her helm pressed against his chest. He paused at that, looking down at her in shock. "I just want it to be over so I don't feel like I have to be afraid anymore."

"Why would you be afraid?" he set his tool aside and reached out to pull her closer to him, his gaze softening. "We are destined to win this war, what could you possibly be afraid of?"

Her servo drifted over the door to her spark, feeling it thump sadly. "I don't want you to die..." she whispered as if the words would somehow come to life if spoken too loudly. "I don't want something to happen that could tear us apart." she sighed, wiping away some grease that had smeared onto his armor. "I don't know how you feel about all this Megatron, sometime's I fear that I never will, but I know that I want to be with you. For better or for worse. And if you died..well, I don't know what I would do."

Megatron broke her out of her thoughts, taking her servos between both of his own and holding them over his pulsing purple insignia. He gave her a serious look, leaving no doubt in his words. "Nothing is going to happen. Nothing will ever be able to take you away from me. If something were to ever happen I would track you down until I found you again. Flamewar I-" he paused, looking back up at the engine that they were supposed to be working on. She watched him carefully, almost scared to believe that he might have almost said what she thought he had. Was he about to finally say that he loved her? "Flamewar, I don't ever want to lose you. I care about you more than I have ever cared about anyone before. You make me do things that I never wanted to do before, and I like it." he smiled at her. "And I will do everything in my power to ensure that nothing can ever come between us. I need to tie up some loose ends to make that happen though."

"Loose ends?"

He nodded. "I have to get rid of Starscream. He is our biggest threat as of now. If he has truly sided with the Autobots then all of our security is at risk. I need to lure him out of hiding and destroy him before he can destroy us..." he trailed off in thought, his chest heaving with a sigh.

"Is that what you've been thinking about?"

He nodded again and she slid away from him, dropping off of the elevated platform. "Then maybe that is what you should be doing instead of being here with me."

"Perhaps... But I'd rather be with you." he slid off the platform to join her, his arms wrapping around her waist snugly. "You're much more pleasing to the optic than anyone up on the bridge." he purred, stroking circles with his thumb over her abdomen. "And none of them get my engine humming quite like you do." he whispered huskily and trailed his lips up her neck to bite at her audios softly. "Why do you enjoy torturing me?" he demanded, almost breathlessly, and the cold chill of his glossa against her neck wires made her moan quietly.

"Good things come to those who wait." she recited, pulling away before he could feel the heat that had started to radiate from her body. She wanted to give in, despite what he might have thought. She was seriously thinking of taking their relationship to the next level, but she just wanted to hear him say that he loved her, just once! She swore she wouldn't do anything with him until he did.

Flamewar saw his put down look and smiled sadly, moving forward to kiss him softly. "I promise, when the time comes I'll make the wait worth it."

He sighed. "Alright... You're killing me Flamewar..but alright..." he pecked her lips and smeared a little grease over her cheek with chuckle. "Great, now I'm going to need a shower." he grumbled halfheartedly.

"Aww," she pouted. "But the grime makes you look so sexy." she laughed at his surprised look and then shoved him away gently. "Go on, get out of here and go fulfill your dastardly plans. I have work to do."

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**The next couple of chapters will have places that are parallel with m story "Lonely". And I have to say I'm a bit excited for what's coming up next :)**

**Leave a Review :)**


	46. Chapter 46

**Thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by the bombing yesterday. Pray for those people to heal quickly and that the bastard responsible is brought to justice.**

**Holy smokes! There are only six chapters left! (there about). Thats like, crazy. I can't believe it is coming to an end so quickly.. Thank you all for your continued support through reviews/favorites/follows/PMs, they all mean so much to me. Thanks a bunch! Aww, but you don't want to listen to me talk all day, it's time for the next chapter! :)**

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Megatron's smirk was not able to be hidden when he saw the three familiar dots of Decepticon life signals. "Starscream..." he laughed quietly as he traced the coordinates. "And the rest of the trine.. Pity they didn't die when he thought they had." the fact that his former second in command had reunited with his brothers had thrown a speed bump in his plans, but it wasn't something he couldn't handle. "Dreadwing, you are in command until I return. There is something I must attend to..."

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Megatron followed the three seekers at a safe distance, relying on Soundwave to know where they were at and where they were headed. It would be best for them not to detect his presence. But he was still able to listen in on their chatter as they flew. He was interested to find out that the three of them, despite what they had done in the past, were accepted into the Autobot ranks as if nothing had ever happened. He wasn't surprised however to hear them bad-mouthing him, they had done that even as Decepticons.

::Bet I can beat you back to base!:: Thundercracker's said, and Megatron received a message from Soundwave that two if the Seekers had broken away and started flying in his direction. He quickly adjusted to stay out of range. ::I think it's about time we got back anyways. Flareup might be worried about a certain somebody by now..::

Starscream's sigh came next. ::Guys, she trusts me. I'm sure she knows we're fine.:: he was ibciously embarrassed about it, and his brothers laughed, leaving him behind as the sped away. Megatron took that moment to fly a little closer to the smaller flyer.

::I'll catch up with you guys.:: Starscream messaged them, transforming and landing on the sandy beach below.

Megatron quietly followed suit, landing quietly on the rock pertch above the sands. Turning on the com scrambler he had brought along, he watched as the Seeker walked down the beach. The water splashed up on the shore lazily around his feet and he appeared to be thinking about something. Of what, he could have cared less. But his mind was starting to wander and that he did care about. He was supposed to be roping Starscream back into his ranks, not reminiscing about his night at the beach with Flamewar.

He shook himself. He needed to stay focused.

Starscream paused in his walk, suddenly becoming quite alert. His gaze jumped around frantically, and his large red optics were filled with fright. He must have found out that the Comunications channels were being jammed. He laughed at the Seeker's patheticness. Finally, their optics met, and he smirked in satisfaction at the terror that he saw.

"Long time no see, eh Starscream?" he jumped down behind the Seeker, blocking him in between him and the rock. "It really has been too long." he sneered, causing the mech to flinch. "And everything seems to be looking pretty good for you. A Sparkmate. Your brothers are back. You've made peace with the enemy. Yes, everything sounds pretty good."

"What do you want?"

Megatron chuckled, his grin widening. "Simple, I want to make your life perfect. You have everything you could ever want... except a future ruling the galaxy." he purred,and he saw Starscream shiver. He took a step forward towards him, and the Seeker took a step back. Slowly the ex-con was backed up against the rock wall. "Face it Starscream..." he reached out and lifted the point of his chin to make him meet his gaze. The poor mech was so unsure of himself. "You miss the power. You miss being in control." he leaned even further forward, whispering directly into his audios. "I can give you back your position. I can get you the power you so desperately crave..."

Starscream clenched his optics shut tightly, a tiny whimper escaping his throat. He wanted so badly to hear what he was saying. The temptation was already eating away at his spark, he could sense it. And his next words only solidified his fate."What is it you want from me?"

Megatron laughed darkly, backing away. The Seeker was weak, an helpless on his own. He wouldn't have to do much to break him. "I want you to give me the location of the Autobot base."

He could see the thoughts turning around in the mech's head. His large red optics were like windows. He was conflicted. There was something keeping him from accepting with his whole spark. Something was nagging at him, but that didn't stop him from taking a small step forward...

Megatron smirked. It was all too easy. The power lust had already crept back into his optics, and the smile on his lips was undeniable. He wanted to accept his Master's proposal. It was just too tempting for he weak willed fool. And the thought of it made him laugh in triumph.

In that instant, something changed. Something in his mind seemed to connect and Starscream's smile fell, as did his gaze. The sudden hesitation made Megatron growl in frustration. He had been so close, but it appeared that he might have to handle this the harder way. The way the mech shook his helm and stepped backwards only confirmed it further.

"I-I will have to consider..."

Megatron's optics held no end of malice. With an annoyed yell, he moved forward and pinned the Seeker agains the rock wall. "You need to _consider?!_" he growled and dug his servos into Starscream's sides. The mech screamed in agony as he tore at the exposed wires and cried pitifully when he stopped.

"Megatron- please!" he begged for mercy, but the plea was ignored as he continued to tear into his metal flesh. His wings were next, and the resounding screams would have been enough to awake Unicron himself.

Starscream pushed him away fervently, desperate to find an escape, but his attempts were useless, as they always seemed to be. "Megatron- I can't!" he screeches as the abuse continued. Megatron smirked, he was so close. Any moment now he would give in.

"Tell me where they are Starscream!" he shouted, throwing the mech into a heap on the ground. When he said nothing he picked him up again and shoved him against the wall. "I can do this all day."

Starscream cowered beneath his rage, Energon leaking down his sides in streams down his legs. "I don't- I don't know where they are." he choked, tears streaming down his face.

Megatron paused in his torture, leaning forward to whisper to him. "Then find out." his brushed his denta over his audio receptors, then bit down hard! "If you don't, I will find this Flareup of yours and I will tear her apart right in front of you." he released them mech, dropping him carelessly in the ground. "I will expect your answer a week from now. Pray this time you won't disappoint me Starscream." he said finally, transforming and taking off into the air. His work there was done. Within a week, the mech would come crawling back to him like he always did. And then they would have all the information they needed to take down the Autobots...

When he arrived back on the Nemesis, he smiled deviously. Things were finally starting to go according to plan...

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**Leave a Review please :)**


	47. Chapter 47

"Hey Soundwave, do you have a second?"

His body tensed slightly at the unannounced arrival of his girlfriend on the bridge, but turned to face her. ::Yes, I have a second.:: He lied. In reality, he was supposed to be tracking the movements of Starscream and his trine brothers, but he figured he could do that and talk at the same time. As long as she didn't make him think too hard. ::What's on your mind?:: He could tell that not using his actual voice was bothering her but he didn't want Dreadwing to hear him.

"Okay, I just have a question." she explained, leaning against the console that he was working at. He could practically feel Dreadwing's disapproving gaze on the back of his helm. The mech was supportive of their relationship, but he did not like non-work related visits. He tried to ignore the feeling as Nightracer spoke again. "I was talking with Flamewar yesterday and she said I should bring this up with you." she bit her bottom lip and looked past him as she prepared herself for what she was about to say.

Soundwave reached and took one of her servos in his own, squeezing it softly. ::Whatever it is, you can tell me.::

She shook her helm sadly and sighed. "It's not that easy." she whispered, her optics looking at his mask in search for his. She did that when she wanted him to take off his visor, but as before, he didn't want Dreadwing to see that.

::Just tell me.:: he was a little taken aback when she hugged him, but he returned the gesture so not to offend her.

"Run away with me Soudwave." The request wasn't a joke. Her tone was completely serious and she had whispered it quietly enough for no one else to hear. "I hate this war." she buried her face against his chassis as she hugged him tighter. "I just want to get away from it." she looked up at him expectantly, but he was completely at a loss for words. "We can get away, Soundwave! We can settle down in a peaceful section of the galaxy and raise a family...like normal Cybertronians. Just you and me." she gave him a small, sad but hopeful smile. "What do you say?"

Honestly, he wanted to say absolutely not. But he didn't want to hurt her and possibly drive her away from him. He had waited so long for a chance to have something normal in his life, and now that he had her, he didn't want to lose her. But he couldn't forsake the Decepticons. Serving Megatron and the Decepticon cause was his life, his world. There was nothing outside of it for him. He didn't know what to tell her...

::I cannot leave.:: he said, pulling her away to hold her at arm's length. ::I can not betray my Master.::

"You nearly killed him for looking at your sister." she pointed out, her gaze hardening.

::But I did not kill him. I am loyal to Megatron and I will not abandon him at the climax of this war.::

"So I guess you're saying no? You don't want to leave, and find a better life somewhere else with me?" he shook his helm but she cut off any further reply that he could make. "Fine, if you don't want to that's fine. I was just asking. But answer me this Soundwave." he paused jabbing his chest with a finger. "If I demanded that you choose between your loyalty to Megatron and your love for me, who would you choose?"

He was again stuck speechless. What was he supposed to say to that? How could he choose between his lifelong friend and ally, and the femme he loved? He couldn't say he would choose her, because if he did: Megatron would hunt him down and destroy him. A very painful death. And if he said Megatron, he might just be put through a more painful death by hand of an irate femme. Neither option was favorable.

Nightracer gave him a calculating look, then frowned when he didn't reply. "I see..."

::No, wait-:: he tried to stop her from leaving but she ducked out of his grasp.

"If you honestly can't tell me right away that you would choose me (the femme who is willing to sleep with you) over him (the mech that has abused me for centuries and forced me to give up my virginity), I don't know if this is working out." she said, ducking away again as he tried to grasp her shoulder.

::You just caught me off guard.:: he tried to make an excuse but he could tell that she was skeptical of it.

"Well," she said seriously, he'd optics sad. "When you figure it out you can come and find me. But until then, don't expect me to be coming around anymore.." with that said, she left him standing in the middle of the bridge.

And his spark was breaking.

What had he done?

* * *

**Aww, poor Soundwave. I feel for both of them. He's torn between two important people in his life and she feels like he cares more about the person that used her than her. *sigh* poor poor bots.**

**Leave a review please! And I will update soon. :)**


	48. Chapter 48

Flamewar felt like skipping through the halls, she hadn't felt this content in a while. She had finally decided what to do about her predicament with Megatron, and it was so simple! The solution was so plain as day that she couldn't believe that she hadn't thought of it before. She and Megatron were already destined mates, so no matter what, they were meant to be together. It didn't matter when they bonded either. So she had an idea, a proposal for him. But, she wanted to talk to her brother first. Somehow, she felt that she needed his 'okay' to move forward with her plan.

She was almost to her brother's room when she saw a familiar shape approaching her in the hall. She smiled at Megatron as he came closer. He looked proud of something, obviously his latest mission had been successful. But he was distracted by a data pad he was reading and didn't see her. She smirked mischievously as he passed her, swinging her servo behind her to swat his aft. "Hey there lord Sexy." She purred and laughed when he jumped in surprise, turning around to stare at her but she just kept walking.

"Oh, _Hell no_! You are not doing that to me and getting away with it!"

She squealed as he started to chase her, running as fast as she could to stay ahead of him. She could hear him laughing as he got closer to her and the sound sent chills down her spine. But she didn't stop running until she felt his servos clamp firmly around her hips to pull her to a stop. "Agh! Megatron!" she squealed again when he lifted her up into the air and threw her over his shoulder. "Megatron put me down!" she tried to sound serious but her laughing wasn't helping much. She hit her fists against his back halfheartedly as he carried her down the hall. "Where are you taking me?"

He chuckled, his tone filled with teasing, but also a bit of honesty. Dirty honesty. "Somewhere private, so I can take you over my knee and spank you."

She gasped, and she could feel her cheeks going red. Was he serious? "You wouldn't dare!" somehow she figured that if he was, she was going to get a lot more than a spanking.

"Try me." he dared, his stride slowing as he passed a few confused Vehicons. "I'd do it out here in public too. Would you prefer that?" she rolled her optics at him but squeaked in horrified surprise when she felt his servo smack her rear.

"Megatron!" she blushed terribly when some passersby gave them a strange look. But he just laughed and swung her off his shoulder to set her feet back on the ground. She glared at him, but when he bent forward to kiss her she broke into a smile. She couldn't stay mad at him like that. He was just too cute sometimes. She inwardly scoffed at the thought of the leader of the Decepticons being cute, but that's just how she saw him at that moment.

"Where are you headed?" he asked, resting his helm against hers and staring into her optics. She almost froze under his gaze. He looked so happy. So content. It was something that she wasn't used too seeing in him, but it was popping up more and more often recently. And she liked it.

She sighed deeply, wrapping her arms around his neck and nipping his lip once. "Just going to go talk to Soundwave." she said, giggling when he purred and kissed her. His touch warm and soft, and somehow he was touching her in just the right spots. Her spark started to hum with want and she allowed herself a quiet moan, which probably stroked his ego a bit. He smirked and dug his fingers into her hips again, drawing another soft noise from her.

She quickly pushed him away before he could do anything more. Coughing to clear her throat, and her mind of all the naughty thoughts she was having, she gave him a small smile. "Where are you going?"

He vented tiredly, his mood becoming a little more down to earth. "I have to get to the bridge." he said irritatedly. "I don't want to go, but I have to." he gave her a quick kiss on the lips and he looked back down the hall. "I guess I should get going."

"Yes, yes you should." she shoved him playfully and he finally turned reluctantly to leave.

"I'm gonna get you later!" he called back over his shoulder.

She smirked, calling back to him just to see his optics widen in surprise. "I'll look forward to it!" she saw him shake his helm and sighed. She loved that she could mess with him like that. But she wanted to do so much more.

* * *

"Soundwave, you in here?" Flamewar knocked on the door but entered before he could reply. She found him sitting on the couch in his common area, his visor pulled back and his optics dimmed in deep concentration. "Hey 'Wave, are you busy? I can come back later if you need me to."

His helm snapped up quickly and he gave her a small smile. "No, I was only thinking. What do you need?" he asked, trying to look enthusiastic about her visit but she could see sadness behind his optics. He was hiding something. But if she knew her brother, and she did, he wouldn't tell her what it was. "What did Megatron do this time? Is he treating you well?"

Flamewar sighed in mock irritation, plopping down on the seat next to him. "Why is it that every time we talk anymore all you think I want to talk about is Megatron?" she watched him laugh quietly and she smiled. She couldn't stand seeing him upset. What could have happened to make him look so down? It must have had something to do with Nightracer. She had said that she was going to talk to him about something that was bothering her, and she wouldn't doubt that whatever she said could plunge him into deep thought.

"Fine, what is it you want to talk about?" he asked, his mood lightening just a bit more.

"Well, actually this time I did want to talk about him..." she smirked playfully, shoving him on the shoulder. Soundwave vented quietly and shook his helm, calming her teasing a bit as she grew serious. "Actually, I wanted to ask you for some advice."

"Ask away." he said, standing up.

"-You might want to stay sitting down." she cautioned, instinctively reaching towards him as he crossed the room away from her.

"I'm sure I can handle anything you can dish out Flamewar." he reassured, putting some things away that littered over his table. Datapads were scattered around his room, apparently searching for relics meant taking work home with him. She had noticed that he had been very busy lately with their search, Megatron had been busy too. So much so, she felt like whenever she went to see either of them that she was interrupting something important.

Flamewar sighed deeply, sitting up straighter on the couch. He thought he could take what she was about to say standing up? She doubted it. "I have been considering some things lately, and I think it's about time I told you something." she paused, giving him another chance to sit back down but he remained where he was. "I want to Sparkbond with Megatron."

Soundwave stiffened. His posture was uptight and his breathing practically nonexistent. So far so good. "That is...not unexpected." when he finally spoke it was strained, almost pained. "Is there a reason you are rushing into this so quickly?" His back was turned to her, but she could just imagine that his optics blacked out at her answer.

"Well, we are destined mates."

He fell faster than she could react, hitting the floor with a solid 'thud!', completely unconscious.

"Scrap! Soundwave!" she rushed to his side, her spark racing. What if she gave him a spark attack?! She checked his pulse quickly, relieved to find that she hadn't killed him. "Soundwave are you okay?" she patted his cheek firmly, trying to wake him. The situation was serious, but she couldn't help laughing at it. She knew the news would shock him, but she didn't think that it would make him pass out! "Come on, wake up you big sparkling." she scolded, smacking his face a little harder. "Oh well..." she sighed theatrically, shaking her helm. "If you're not going to wake up I guess I could just go find Megatron right now. I'm sure he wouldn't mind me taking him away from work to go for _a roll in the sheets_. He's been practically begging for it." she watched her brother carefully for a reaction, and when none surfaced she began to worry more.

"Holy smokes, I broke him!" she covered her face with her servos in shock. He wasn't waking up! "Soundwave, did you hear me? I just said I-"

"I heard what you said. Please never say it again..."

She let her pent up breath leave her chest slowly. "Don't scare me like that. I thought you might have been dying..."

He groaned, his optics coming back online. "Who says I'm not dying? My sister, my only living relative, is destined mates with Megatron." he hissed air through his denta, rubbing his servos over his face. "And there's not a single Primus damned thing I can do about it..."

"Soundwave.." she tried to sound comforting and reassuring but when he looked up at her his optics showed no relief. "It was going to happen eventually. Aren't you a little glad that I at least am going to be with your best friend?" his scowl only deepened. "Okay...how about this? I want to be with him, he says that he wants to be with me. I have been trying to hold off as long as I can, waiting for him to tell me how he really feels about me but I'm tired of waiting. We are destined to be together already. I could bond with him, with or without your consent." she paused, making her voice a little softer when she realized that she was almost growling. "I just want your approval. I want you to be able to say that you want us to be together... Because I want to be with him _forever_." she couldn't seem to stress that last word enough, but he caught on pretty quickly that she was dead serious.

She wanted to bond with Megatron.

She locked gazes with her brother, and for a moment she thought that he would say he disapproved. He reached up shakily with one servo to touch her cheek, smiling fondly. "You just be careful. If it is what you want... I will support it. Just be sure, be so entirely certain before you do anything! I never want you to have any regrets..."

She smiled, her optics tearing up happily. "Soundwave, my only regret is that I didn't do this sooner." she laughed when he groaned, grasping his servo tightly. "Come on, let's get you some Energon. You look like you need some." she helped him to his feet again and smiled when he grumbled.

"There isn't enough high grade on this entire ship to ease my woes..."

* * *

**Leave a Review please! :) I'll have more out soon. :)**


	49. Chapter 49

**Guess what?!**

**...**

**Oh fine then, don't guess. I'll just tell you.. ;p This is another chapter mirrored with "Lonely"! For those of you who have read the story, you probably know what's coming up next.. And those of you who haven't.. Read and enjoy :)**

* * *

Megatron watched from his perch on the rocks as his target landed on the sandy beach below. Starscream had put on quite a show for his Sparkmate, flying and transforming with a grace that only he would possess. And when he came back down his mate greeted him with applause and a smile. They spoke in quiet tones for a while and he simply watched. This was it. If his former Second in command didn't bow to his wishes an provide the coordinates for the Autobot base he would destroy him... Slowly.

He smirked briefly at the thought, his engine starting to hum madly. He had it all planned out. If Starscream refused him, he would be made example of in front of the entire Decepticon army. Minus Flamewar though, he didn't think she would enjoy such cruel violence from him. He had noticed that she wasn't one for torturing helpless victims. When he had brought the subject up once she nearly spilled everything in her tanks on the floor. So no, Flamewar would not witness that particular part of his plan.

Suddenly his optics snapped back to the Seeker, remembering to stay focused. He couldn't get distracted now, not by Flamewar, not by the thought of her laugh or smile, and definitely not by the thought of dragging her to his berthroom to finally have his way with her. Nope, no distractions. He wouldn't think about those gorgeous blue optics or her frame, perfectly shaped to meld with his own in the intense heat of interfacing. The sound of her voice screaming his name, not in playful teasing but in unbridled passion. What would her spark look like opened up to his craving optics? Would she ask to-?

He growled in frustration, standing up slowly. He had to stop thinking such thoughts, it was getting in the way! Looking down at the two lovers again he hardened his expression. They had it so easy, saying little cheesy lines like it didn't matter at all. How could Starscream, of all mechs, be in a relationship so satisfying? How could he have found someone and bonded so quickly? Was she a skank, a whore? No, she didn't look like it, she looked too innocent. Then why did the Seeker have it so easy when he himself had to go through hell and get things the hard way?

[I didn't look at everything...] The femme's voice rose slightly in playful defense before trailing off quietly. This brought Megatron's attention back to them in it's fullest. [I just looked at the stuff you tried the most to hide...] she hugged Starscream tightly, resting her helm against his chest. [What fun is a relationship if you know everything about each other?]

Starscream vented deeply, stroking her shoulders with an adoring gaze in his optics. "I suppose you're right. You almost always are."

[You bet I am. No almosts about it.]

He nodded in submission. "Yes, of course. So far you have never been majorly wrong." He submitted, rolling his optics at her playfully.

Megatron growled, sneering at them in mockery. Starscream and the Flareup froze, lookin up at him as he spoke. "Well, well, well... Starscream, I never thought I'd see the day when you would willingly concede to someone, let alone a femme." He chuckled from his pertch above them. "How pathetic."

Starscream unsheathed his missiles, pointing them upwards toward him. Panic crossed through his large red optics, but he stood firm, showing a lot more guts than he had ever seen in him before. But he didn't shoot him, and Megatron knew why. The explosion would bring all the rocks down on top of them.

"Still can't seem to bring yourself to possibly hurt her to disable me I see." He smirked. "I could have ripped both your sparks out when we last met together in that cave, but here we are, all still standing. Only because you were too afraid to hurt a femme. Such a coward, Starscream. You always have been." Megatron stepped forward on the rocks above them, causing some to fall. Starscream instinctively pulled Flareup out of the way of the falling rocks, snarling at the larger mech. The motion only served to draw his attention to the femme more, and his optics flickered in amusement. "And what is this I see? Oh, Starscream, you didn't tell me you sparked her." he tisked in disapproval. "That makes this a whole lot harder." The femme was indeed, very pregnant. He estimated that within a week she would be in labor. That did complicate some things, but not enough to deter him.

"What do you want?!" The frightened Seeker walked backwards, keeping his mate behind him at all times. He was growing frantic.

"Your answer Starscream." Megatron glared down at him, jumping down to join them in the sand. "Tell me where the Autobot base is now, or I will snuff her spark." He pointed at Flareup and she flinched, as if his mere gaze could penetrate into her soul.

"You will not harm either of us! I won't let you." Starscream replied quickly, but not without hesitation. "I would sooner hold you off while she drives away before I let you know where the Autobots reside."

Megatron had to contain a laugh at the thought of that proposal. "Except she was born without a T-cog. You forget she was once one of us too Starscream. I have all her records still." Fear and pain flashed through the Seeker's optics once again. He was running out of excuses. "Tell me what I want to know Starscream... now."

Flareup pulled him backwards, making him face her. [Don't.] she begged him, surprising Megatron greatly. He had just threatened her life and she didn't seem to care.. [Please.]

Megatron's gaze shifted between the two of them, growing impatient as the Seeker continued to think. But he had a feeling what the answer would be, and the thought made him smile.

When Starscream looked up it was with a drop dead glare. "No." he said it firmly and with conviction.

Megatron sighed in fake annoyance, he was actually kind of glad that the mech had answered the way he had. This would be a perfect way for him to blow off some steam, and get rid of the Seeker in the process. "I was afraid it would come to this. You leave me no choice-" raising his ion cannon he shot the rocks above the two of them and watched as they fell.

Starscream acted quickly, pushing his Sparkmate out of the way before she could be hurt, but he was too slow to save himself...

[No! Starscream!] Flareup cried out in agony at the sight of her mate being burried alive. Tears streaked down her face and her arms shook weakly, barely supporting her where she lay in the sand. [No...no Star, please...] she looked up at Megatron, and for a moment he saw the same expression he had seen in Flamewar's optics the night they had first fought. Now, he could tell what it was. The femme was Sparkbroken. [You monster...] she sobbed, glaring at him, but she was in too much shock to move. [You Monster!]

Megatron quickly shook the feeling away, coming back to his senses. "Enough of that." he snapped, striking her across the back of her helm. The blow was just enough to knock her out, but not enough to harm her or, by extension, the sparkling inside of her. He would never kill a sparked femme, it was something so low and fowl it was forbidden on his ship. But other things...such as methods of torture...were not so looked down upon.

Megatron smirked, taking the femme up into his arms as he called for a groundbridge. "This is going to be fun."

* * *

He had just secured his prisoner in the torture chamber when he received a personal com message from Flamewar. He smiled at the sound of her voice, all previous thoughts of violence erased from his mind.

::Hey Megsy, you got a free moment?:: her tone may have sounded smug, but there was something about it that seemed off. She sounded...nervous.

::I always have a free moment for you.:: he purred back, hoping to ease her worried mind a bit with some playful flirting. She seemed to like it when he did that.

::Can you meet me in the hanger bay? I want to show you something.:: Again, it was as if she had to choke the words out. Was she alright?

::Yes, I'll be right there.:: he said, starting down the hall towards the said destination. ::Are you okay Flamewar?:: he couldn't help but ask. She never sounded like this.

There was a pause before she answered. ::Just get over here before I lose my nerve.:: the transmission ended there abruptly.

Megatron vented slowly, not sure what to expect. But whatever it was, he needed to get there fast. He didn't have much time on his servos. Any moment now Starscream could dig himself free and start looking for him. And that would be when the fun started...

* * *

**What is Flamewar up too hmm? We'll find out in the next chapter ;)**

**Leave a Review please! :)**


	50. Chapter 50

**Okay! It's the moment we've all been waiting for!..I think. I've been waiting for this for a while at least. ;)**

**Very strongly rated T ahead!**

* * *

Flamewar paced anxiously back and forth in front of the private hanger bay door, waiting for Megatron to arrive. She had been planning this whole event out in her mind for a week and now she was finally going through with it. She had finally finished the repairs and remodeling of the ship, that was her excuse to get him alone with her, but she had really called him for something entirely unrelated.

Venting shakily, she eyed the door across the much larger hanger. Her spark was hammering in her chest. She didn't know what to expect, what would happen. She was afraid of him hurting her if she went through with her plan, but she continued to tell herself that if he had wanted to do that he would have done it a lot sooner. She knew that he had been wanting to get her into his berth for a while now, and she had wanted it a few times too. But she needed security, a concrete answer that he really did care about her. And if he didn't give her one, she would continue to keep herself from him. That's just how it would be.

"Hey there sweetspark." she jumped, startled by his sudden appearance when he slipped his arms around her frame from behind. He pulled her against his frame snugly and she could feel his engines hum with pleasure. She giggled quietly when he brushed his lips against her neck cables, sending chills down her spine. "You're looking sexy today." he purred as he took notice of her nicely cleaned and polished armor. She blushed. "What's the occasion?"

Finally regaining control of her body, Flamewar twisted around to give her mech a quick kiss on the lips. "Cover your optics and I'll show you."

He gave her a confused look. "What?"

She rolled her optics, taking his servo and pulling it up over his face. "Just follow my voice, it's a surprise." she heard him huff in slight annoyance but he followed her lead, holding her servo firmly in his free one.

"You know, I already know that you finished the ship. Can't I just see it?"

She swatted his arm. "No." she moved his servo to better cover his sight and stopped him in his tracks. "And that's not the entire surprise, you little know it all." she smirked, feeling that odd aching in her chest slowly start to ebb away. Things were going well so far. "Okay, now you can look."

And he did. For a moment his expression was unreadable. His optics traveled over the newly painted ship's hull, going over every feature until he came upon the new name spelled out in black letters on the side. Flamewar bit her lip nervously, wondering how he would take it.

"You named it..._Megatronus_?" he didn't sound upset, but just a little bit baffled by it.

Flamewar nodded slowly, walking up closer to him. "Is that a bad thing?"

He shook his helm, still not looking at her. "No, just rather...not what I expected." silence consumed them as he continued to gaze at the ship. It made her worry a bit that he wasn't saying anything more and she wasn't sure how to break the silence. So she waited patiently for him to speak again. "Why did you choose that, of all things?"

She sighed, letting the pent up breath leave her cheat in a huff. "It is an inspiring name, taken on by an inspiring person who wanted to change the face of Cybertron." she didn't see him react and continued. "The same mech who personally rallied thousands of followers and formed the Decepticons. The same mech who helped me and my brother survive in Kaon. The greatest mech in our history...and also the one that I love." she looked up into his optics, trailing her fingers up to his glowing purple insignia. "..and will always love, no matter what happens."

It was then that Megatron finally gave her a reaction, in the form of a simple and small smile. It was brief, but genuine, and when he looked down at her again she saw adoration in his gaze. "You are truly an amazing femme, Flamewar." he said quietly, his servo raising to cup her cheek. It was the gentlest touch he had ever given to her, and what came next was the most sincere and passionate kiss she had ever had in her life. His lips ghosted over hers softly as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. She felt herself melting into a puddle of goo at his touch. This was the side of Megatron she had been wanting to see. This is what she had been searching for in him all this time.

As he pulled away she finally made a firm decision. This is what she wanted. She wanted him for all eternity, and nothing was going to stop her from having him right there and then! She was going to be his, and he was going to admit that he was her's, even if she had to force the words from his mouth!

Before he could move more than an inch, Flamewar captured him in her arms and nearly brought him to his knees with the most ferocious kiss she could manage. She bit him. Battled with his glossa for dominance that he was for once losing. Grounding her abdominal armor against his, her servos snaked around his hips, pulling him closer. Nothing was off limits now, she wanted him and she was going to show him just how much. Static sparked between them as their bodies battled each other for control. When Megatron finally regained his senses his optics darkened with intent.

"You know what you're getting into right?" he pulled away just slightly, enough for her to see the deep purple desire creeping into his optics. "Once I start, I'm not going to stop."

Flamewar managed a smirk, whispering hoarsely into his audios. "Is that a promise?"

At that Megatron growled possessively, grasping her by the hips and pushing her against the ship. "You. Are. Mine!" there was no hiding his arousal. His systems had all come alive now. She knew that there was no way to stop it. And she wouldn't want to stop it for anything.

She moaned softly when he kissed her neck, biting into the wires and licking up the spilled Energon. She was blind to everything else but his violent affections. She didn't even realize that he had swept her off her feet and carried her into the large berthroom in the ship. She felt the softness of the berth covers against her back briefly before he climbed over her to claim her lips once again.

She clenched her optics shut as he growled, the sound making her purr for him. This was perfect. She wanted nothing more than this, nothing more than...

"Megatron, wait-" she panicked, not believing that she had actually forgotten what she really wanted. "Wait, please-" she pushed on his chest as hard as she could and finally he rolled over onto his back, breathing heavily with optics as animalistic as they got.

"What?" he sounded frustrated at the interruption, but he calmed when she moved to straddle his lap.

"Before we do this, Megatron, I need to know something." she told him, gasping for her own air. Everything felt so hot. "I need to see your spark. If I don't...I'll never know." it sounded lame even to her, but at the moment she just couldn't think straight! It was a miracle she even remembered what she wanted to search through it for!

He gave her a conflicted look, like he knew that if he denied her that she had decided to run from him like he was a rabid insecticon. He vented sharply, running his servos over his optics. "Why do you want to see it?"

"Because you won't tell me that you love me!" she gasped, panting to keep her systems cool. She definitely wasn't prepared for his answer.

"I don't know how I feel about you! Okay? I have no Primus damned idea what I feel towards you! And I don't know what name I could ever give it!" he choked for air, his chest rising and falling so heavily she thought he might pass out. "You're free to look if you must, but don't be disappointed if you can't make sense of any of it." with that, his chest plates opened up to her and her spark stopped.

It was dark. His spark was nothing but a dark purple energy. Swirly, cloudy darkness. It was nothing that she had expected, for a moment she almost turned back. It looked foreboding, in a smaller word...evil. Her optics lingered on it, tearing up slightly. And then she saw it. A single white streak amongst the darkness. Seeing that, she plunged he fingers into the darkness of his spark, latching onto that one shred of light.

Megatron cried out in agony as she sifted through his soul, every circuit in his body bucking at the sudden pain. She could feel his memories, she could hear his past whispering to her, and she could taste his tortured spirit. Every moment she spent sifting through his central energy, to find that part of him not consumed by hate, was another moment of complete and utter torture. She knew it would be painful to him, but she had never expected to hear him cry out so freely. She wasn't even searching through his memories. She just wanted to find one smidgen of emotion towards her. One sign that showed that she really meant something to him. If only just a hint...

Finally, she found it. And she latched onto it hard, anchoring it where it was. In her mind she held it where it was, focusing on it to bring the image cleared to her. For a moment, it seemed blank, then she felt it. Unadulterated adoration, passion, attachment, protection, fondness, playfulness...and dare she even hope: love. It was there. And as she held onto that emotion it began to surface brighter in his spark.

Megatron grunted and groaned as she pulled on his sanity. He could feel the change in his spark, the sudden lightness, the pain decreasing. Flamewar watched as his optics and spark turned from darkness to pure blue and sparking white. It was then that their gazes met and she pulled her servo from deep within his chest.

They stayed in silence for the longest time. Neither of them moving. Megatron was staring at her like he was seeing someone completely different, and she herself felt like she was seeing another person as well. There was no more hate in his optics. No more anger.

"Flamewar-..." he sat up, his spark still open to her. He took her face between his servos and kissed her, deeply, longingly, lovingly. "Flamewar I think I-I-" he looked at her with joy, an he kissed her again. "Flamewar, I lov-"

::Lord Megatron!:: at the sound of Knockout's voice over the intercom the spell was broken. In that instant, the familiar features of Megatron came back. His optics turned red, and his spark darkened once more. And Flamewar felt like someone had run her spark through with a blade. How could she come so close only to have it all ripped away from her?

"What is it?!" Megatron snarled, obviously never more upset to be interrupted. He was practically livid.

::Starscream is approaching. He will be here any minute.::

"Fine!" He took a second to calm his breathing, closing his optics before turning his attention back to her. "I'm sorry Flamewar, this situation really does take my personal attention... I have to go." at her fallen expression he quickly added, "But I'll be back." he promised, kissing her briefly on the lips before getting to his feet. "I'll be back. Just stay right there."

Flamewar smile sadly at him as he reached the door. "Okay, I'll be waiting right here." she watched him turn his back on her and she felt her spark drop. "I love you Megatron!" She called out to him but he didn't reply. He just left.

She sighed deeply, taking in what just happened piece by piece. He had almost told her that he loved her. He had been in the middle of saying it. She should have been elated! But something in her spark felt sick, like it was trying to tell her that something was wrong. That something absolutely dreadful was about to happen.

Going with her gut-instincts, she got up quickly and followed Megatron.

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**Muahahahaaaa! ;) leave a Review please! :)**


	51. Chapter 51

**Wow, sorry for the wait and for the poor quality of this chapter. I went through and edited it a few times, and I probably will again in the future, but for now...yeah, this'll have to do. ;)**

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"No! Megatron! Please!" the agonizing screams for mercy filled the air, directing Flamewar closer and closer to the torture chambers. She had lost sight of Megatron when he switched levels, but the sound of shrill pleas from the very familiar former Second in command Starscream was enough to put her back on course. But it wasn't just the rouge con who was crying out in agony. She heard another voice, this one more agonized and pained, and it made her run faster down the hall.

When she reached the torture room, she slipped inside quietly and quickly ducked behind some large monitors. She could see clearly where Starscream was bound to the wall, but she couldn't see why he was crying out. Nothing was being done to him... His chest was leaking Energon but it wasn't that serious.

"P-please..." the small Seeker whimpered, his helm falling forward as he started to cry.

[Starscream!] the second voice called out to him but he didn't look up, and when Flamewar peaked around the machine to see why, her spark sunk. She felt like everything in life was suddenly worthless. Everything she thought she felt was crushed at the sight before her. But she couldn't look away as Megatron continued to spark-rape the femme bound to the berth. She just couldn't look away! Her body was numb...

It was obvious to her why Starscream was crying out. He was in pain because of what Megatron was doing to her, his Sparkmate. It was horrible! She couldn't believe that Megatron, her Megatron, could do something so awful! She had never seen him so obviously vile and sparkless before. And as the femme continued to struggle, writhe, and scream Flamewar couldn't help but start to cry. Energon flowed freely down her face as she watched helplessly at the scene playing out before her...as Megatron betrayed her.

Suddenly, Megatron stopped his abuse. He pulled away with a smirk, licking bright blue Energon from his lips, mocking the brokensparked Seeker. "Tasty." he sneered.

Starscream closed his optics tightly, and Flamewar felt herself agreeing with everything that came out of his mouth. "You're a sadistic bastard..." he breathed painfully. "Just kill me, let her go..." he begged. Flamewar continued to cry as the Seeker's words fell on deft audios. "Please..." his voice cracked pitifully when the gladiator laughed and ignored him, looking at a wall of torture instruments he could choose from...

She wasn't sure how it happened so quickly, but one moment Starscream was trapped against the wall, and the next thing he had broken his his bonds and was running to his Sparkmate's side. He stood between his old master and his mate, blocking his path to her, but he hadn't been prepared for the sickly serrated blade that came to sink into his chest.

"No!" Flamewar gasped, not believing what was happening. Starscream was pushed down onto the berth over his mate as Megatron shoved the blade in deeper. The Seeker and his mate both cried out in agony as Energon poured uncontrolably onto the floor, trailing down his legs and arms.

"Any last words Starscream?" Megatron asked, his optics blazing red with hate. She could only stare at him as he smirked. He was a devil, a disciple of Unicron! How could he do this to anyone? She had thought him better then that.

The bloodied Seeker looked up at his tormentor, his optics flickering weakly. "I feel sorry for you-" he choked, sputtering Energon over Megatron's chest.

"What?!"

"You don't know what love is... No one loves you, and that is why you take pleasure in tearing us apart. I Feel Sorry For You Megatron... If you knew what it was like to feel like this, you wouldn't do this to us-" he coughed again, pulling and Flamewar's sparkstrings. No, it couldn't be true. He had to be lying! She didn't want to believe anything that was happening, but when her mech, the only mech she had ever loved and wanted to bond with, when he spoke again everything around her seemed to start closing in on her.

Megatron snarled, his grip on the knife tightening. "You're right Starscream. I have never loved anyone, and I will never love anyone. It is weak and for the incompetent!" He pushed the blade farther through the Seeker, his words unknowingly bringing Flamewar to her knees. She could hear them screaming. And she joined them in their cries. How could she have been so blind?

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Megatron sighed in satisfaction as he looked upon the scene before him. Starscream was still alive and so was his mate. But they wouldn't be for long. When the two finally quieted, optics going dark, he sent a com to Knockout so he could come and remove the sparkling (or sparklings as he had found out through spark merging with Flareup) into a safe environment until they became conscious. He would raise the sparklings as his own and they would grow to hate the Autobots. Things couldn't be any better.

"How could you..."

Those three small, helpless, shattered words were enough to wipe the smirk off his face. He whipped around, turning to stare at where Flamewar was. Her optics were flickering with grief, her face stained with Energon.

"Flamewar, what are you doing here?" he stepped towards her and she flinched back suddenly, fear fueling her body. He stopped abruptly when he saw that she was terrified and his spark sunk slightly. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you..." he tried again to step forward towards her but this time she scrambled away screaming.

"Get away from me! Don't you touch me, you-you Monster!" she panicked as he came closer and she did something he never thought her capable of doing. She snatched the knife from his servo and turned it against him, pointing it straight at his spark. "G-get away!" her servos shook as she held the weapon and he froze. She must have seen, and heard, everything.

"Flamewar, let me explain-Flamewar!" he called out after as she ran, but as he began to give chase something stopped him. The sound of a Groundbridge behind him made turn in surprise. How did the Autobots-

Two familiar shapes came through the Groundbridge, both holding a striking resemblance to Starscream. One painted silver and blue, the other silver and purple. They were the rest of his tribe brothers. He had forgotten that a trine could sense exactly where it's members were in any sort of conscious state. That explained how they had found Starscream's signal and without the Nemesis's shields being down...

"There they are!" Thundercracker pointed to their fallen comrade and they both turned to glare at Megatron. He stood between them and their brother, and they were not happy about it.

"Get away from them you aft!" Skywarp snapped, raising his blasters to aim at him. Unlike his brother he wasn't afraid of possible casualties for himself of for anyone else in the room. He fired at will, and he gave it all he got.

Megatron ducked back behind one of the monitors quickly to evade the blasts and called for some Vehicon back up. He didn't have time to deal with these jokers, he had to find Flamewar.

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**Leave a Review please :)**


	52. Chapter 52

**Sorry for taking so long. This chapter was a little hard to find the inspiration for... *sigh* no spoilers from me! Read this chapter at your own heart's risk... ;)**

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Soundwave burst into the hanger bay, his strides quick and urgent. He knew where Flamewar was and what she was doing but he refused to tell Megatron. The mech had broken his promise and he would pay for hurting his sister, one way or another.

Entering the private docking station he saw Flamewar already boarding the 'Megatronus', and he ran to stop her. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and he could feel that she was shaking in distress. He hushed her quietly, trying to soothe her, but she would not be comforted. She twisted in his arms and he let her go, spark hurting at the look that she gave him. He wanted to take her pain away. How could he have been so blind to what Megatron was doing? How could he have allowed this to happen to his sister? He didn't protect her. He failed her... And now they would all be punished for it.

"Soundwave, I can't stay here. Not anymore..." she whispered, not meeting his gaze. "I'm sorry... I should never have trusted him!" she shook violently and he quickly re-embraced her, holding her close to his spark.

"It wasn't your fault-"

She shook her helm, burying herself against him. "I should have listened to you."

"Hush!" he snapped sternly, wiping the tears from her optics. "There is no way you could have expected this." as he continued to console her, he started to see that he was saying these things more to himself than to her. For once, he didn't think he could comfort her. Her spark was broken beyond his ability to repair... "Flamewar, he is the only one to blame in this. Things could have been perfect between you two, but he chose to ruin it. It is not your fault!"

"I-I can't stay here." she stuttered again, her servos grasping at the seems in his chassis. She was trembling all over. She was frightened out of her wits. And he was helpless. "Don't stop me Soundwave, please... I need to leave, and I don't ever want to come back."

Her words sunk in slowly, penetrating his spark like a sharp blade. If she never returned, he would never see her again. But the only way he could protect her was to let her go... And that was a sacrifice he was going to have to make.

Taking her face between his servos, he kissed her helm softly. "Be safe..." she didn't give him any acknowledgement other than a quick nod. No word of goodbye. No joke about him not being able to survive without her. No smile. Only tears. Only pain. He watched as she boarded the space craft, and he watched on as the bay doors opened and the craft lifted from the ground. Through the cockpit window he could just barely see her small form in the pilot's chair. Her servos grasped ahold of the controls and the engines blared to life, rocketing her out of the hanger.

Soundwave stood there, his spark going numb. His optics watered. But he did nothing. He couldn't move. And he didn't dare make another noise. Flamewar was gone. And he would never see her again...

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Megatron quickly shoved a Vehicon out of his way as he ran down to the hanger bay. He had tried to contact Flamewar but she would not answer him, and neither would Soundwave. After chasing the fleeing Autobots and the two Seekers back into their groundbridge he had been able to locate his Communications officer in the private hanger bay. He didn't know what he could be doing there but it didn't feel right. Something in his chest didn't feel right.

::Lord Megatron-::

"Not now Dreadwing, I don't have time for this." he snapped quickly to silence the summons.

::But sir, one of the hanger doors has been opened without authoriza-::

"I said _not now_!" he barked, finally emerging from the elevator door into the hanger bay. He quickly cut the communication, and he ran for the private hanger. "Flamewar where are you?" he called out, rounding the corner and bursting into the room, almost out of breath. He tried to take in everything as quickly as possible, but there was so much to process. Soundwave stood in the opened hanger, alone in the empty space. "Soundwave, where is she? I need to speak with her. Where is Flamewar?"

The normally quiet, expressionless mech turned slowly to meet his gaze. What Megatron saw and heard shocked him to his core. Soundwave was crying, Energon leaking freely down his face. "She's gone." he said quietly. In his optics there was anger and hatred, but an inability to do anything about it. "You will never see her again. She is probably half way out of this galaxy by now."

Megatron froze, the Energon in his veins running cold. "What? Where has she gone?" he stepped up in front of the smaller mech, looking at him pleadingly. "Soundwave, tell me! Where did she go?"

Soundwave looked up at him with a firm unwavering glare. "I don't know, and if I did I would never tell you. You hurt her beyond any pain anyone can bear. I would cut out your spark if-!" he suddenly quieted, his optics dropping to the floor. "There is no pain that I could inflict on you that would make things right. But I think that losing your destined mate should be comeuppance enough."

Megatron couldn't feel anything. Everything seemed to stop around him as horror consumed him. "What?" It was more a statement of disbelief than confusion. She had been his destined mate?! How could he not have known that... All of the times he would feel that something was different. The happiness he felt around her. The absolute longing to be with her. How could he have not known!

When he could finally find his voice again he couldn't speak comprehensibly. The air left his chest in a painful gasp as he fell to his knees. He felt sick. His tanks threatened to spill out his throat at the revelation. His whole body was cold, but at the same time on fire. He had lost his perfect match. He had scared her away, and he would never lay optics on her again. Never see her nervous smile. Hear her beautiful laughter. Feel her soft touch. All the nights they had shared just simply talking ran through his processor. The feeling of contentment during those times would never be felt again. She would never again come to him for comfort or reassurance. He had betrayed her trust. He had lost her. The only femme he had ever loved...

He heard Soundwave leave, but he stayed where he was kneeling there on the floor. His spark burned. And when opened and inspected with dread, he found the words to be true. He couldn't believe it, but the proof was there inside of him. The mark of a destined mate seared into his spark permanently, and it would be a constant reminder to him for the rest of his days of what he had lost. Of what he could have had.

"Primus, what have I done..." the voice of the once stone cold, uncaring, overlord was broken and shattered. "_What _the hell_ have I done?!_"

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**There is only one chapter left and then you will all have to wait for the conclusion of this story in the second book of "Friends and Family". "FaF" is this story's mother story. It isn't finished yet but I should have some more out soon. In the mean time, you can go find out what happened to Starscream in this story's sister story "Lonely".**

**Have a great day you guys! And leave a Review please! :)**


	53. Chapter 53

**Hey, sorry for the wait guys. Work is long and frustrating and a total killer of inspiration. Also I've been busy with the "Left for Dead" series. If you like Shockwave that's a story for you. But anyways! We're not here to talk about him, we're here to find out what happens to Flamewar! Special thanks to Scarlet Thorrn for being so encouraging and for reviewing after every-single-chapter! Phew! I don't think I have ever done that, kudos :) and thanks to all my readers/reviewers! You all made this possible :)**

**Anyways, this is the last chapter.. Enjoy..**

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Flamewar had no idea where she was going. She had a space cruiser, but no supplies. She could get pretty far before she starved to death, but she had no idea where in the universe she was. She was lost. Alone. And scared.

She spent the first few days simply orbiting Earth, trying to figure out her next moves. She couldn't go back to the Decepticons, not after what she had seen. Sure, Megatron was granted to be vile to his enemies, but spark raping a femme with a mate and sparklings?! That was stepping over so many lines in so many ways. And if he was willing to stoop that low, how was she to know that he wouldn't do something to her in the future? What if he beat her? She couldn't take the chance. He may have been her destined mate, but that didn't mean they were going to be together.. It just meant that they could have. They could have been happy together. They could have-

She sobbed, breaking down into tears for the umpteenth time. Curling up in a ball in the command chair of the cruiser, she simply let the tears fall. She felt like she was dying inside.. A long painfully slow death. Her spark burned, but she felt numb. It was all so confusing, she had once considered just ending it all. She figured Soundwave would find her body eventually, but it wasn't right. She couldn't go through with it. All because she was hurting didn't mean she had to hurt others. And she had reason to live. She could still be of use to some, some who would appreciate her for what she could do with mechanics. It was a stretch, but she had hope that the Autobots were receiving her message. She couldn't stand being alone, and she figured that the Autobots would be the last place Megatron would look for her. It was the safest place to be.

Com static filled up the cockpit, jolting Flamewar from her thoughts. ::_This is Autobot outpost Omega one. Identify yourself._:: An older mech replied to her automatic transmission, finally breaking the silence.

With a shaking servo, she reached out to press the reply channel. "This is... A friend. Please, I need to speak with Optimus Prime. Is he with you?" There was silence to answer her question, but she figured they were discussing something on the other side. Taking the free moment, she wiped the Energon away from her optics.

::_What is your affiliation?_::

She sighed shakily, preparing herself for the unknown. If she did this, there was no going back. "That's what I want to talk to him about.. I want to become an Autobot."

More silence.

Just when she was beginning to think that they had hung up on her, a new voice entered the com. ::_This is Optimus Prime. I will send you coordinates so you can land your vessel. I will meet you there in person_...:: she jumped slightly when the computer console next to her beeped, a set of coordinates transmitted to her. ::_Safe journey_.::

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The surrounding desert wasn't much to look at. There were many hills and in the distance she saw some Earth animals grazing in fields. The air was hot but dry and the sun was blazing overhead in the nearly cloudless sky. If she hadn't been waiting so anxiously for the leader of the Autobots to appear, she might have complained about being sent to such a remote place. But it wasn't so bad. It wasn't a barren wasteland. Her spark actually lightened a bit at the sight of so much life around her. The plants had survived the harsh, lifeless conditions, and the animals survived and thrived. If they could do it out here in the middle of no where, she could make it in the Autobot ranks.

The sound of a groundbridge brought her attention up from the ground at her feet. When she saw Optimus Prime she stopped leaning against her ship and stood up straight. She had known that he was just a bit shorted than Megatron, but he demanded just as much respect in the way that he carried himself. Where Megatron worked fear into respect, the Prime just seemed to have it. But he also looked kind, and understanding. It was something she needed at that moment. Someone who would listen and be open minded.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. We had to be sure that there was no trickery tied to this." he said, and her gaze was instantly locked with the ground again.

"No, that's-that's fine. It's okay..." she mumbled quickly, biting her lip.

"I see that you bear a Decepticon insignia. Why the change of mind?" he asked, clasping his hands behind his back in a nonthreatening manner.

"Call it a change of spark."

"Hmm." he raised an optic ridge at her, but she was glad when he didn't pry. "I know that things can happen to change people. It is what I constantly tell my troops. But it can work two ways: a good or bad change. Is there any way that you could go back on this decision and rejoin the Decepticons-"

"No." she glared at the dirt, her optics watering again. "I could never go back. Not after-" there she stopped, unsure if she was ready to tell him everything, or if she even should. "I want this war to end. I want to see Megatron pay for what he's done."

Optimus placed a servo on her shoulder and when she looked up at him he was smiling slightly. "Megatron will be brought to justice. But I fear that the war is far from over. Much is to come, some good, others bad. But we will prevail." at this, he extended a servo in friendship. "It would be my pleasure to welcome you to the Autobots."

Taking one last glance at her insignia, she had a moment of doubt. But then she looked back to the Prime. He was reassuring. Strong. His bright blue optics radiated compassion and forgiveness. It was everything she wouldn't get going back to the Decepticons.

With that thought in mind, she took his servo and shook it firmly. "My name is Flamewar. And it would be an honor serving with you, Sir."

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**Next on my agenda: finish "Friends and Family"...**

**Leave a Review and go check out "Lonely" or "Friends and Family"! I will have the next chapters out in "FaF" ASAP ;)**


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